This has been a long time coming, but here it is!

Thank you to those who reviewed, you are all the real rockstars here: Words Are My Weapons, Emperor's Sister, Jacob Denness, and sophiecambellbower!

There's something in this chapter that I think a LOT of you have been waiting on for a VERY long time...


15 Years After Start of the Program

"Bellamy. Psst. Bell. Wake up!" A sharp clap above Bellamy's head startled him from his dreams. He blinked wearily around the room, wincing as he picked up his head from the ground. He rubbed the back of his neck and used his other hand to wipe the corners of his lips, having drooled a little in his sleep. Above him, Monty was looking down at him with a look halfway between amusement and halfway to annoyance.

"Oh, crap. What time is it?" Bellamy asked as the fog cleared from his mind.

"Much too late for you to still be sleeping, that's for sure," Monty said, helping him stand, "I lied to Raven and said that you were off doing preparations. If she finds out you were sleeping, she'll throw all of you out of the airlock doors."

"You got that right." Bellamy blinked. His drunk haze was not as bad as it certainly could have been, but only because he was watching his alcohol intake last night. In a rush, it all came back to him. Impending, possible death. Three years. Treason.

Shit.

Still, it was nothing that was going to be decided in the next day. He spun around, kicking Miller with his foot to wake him too. Miller mumbled something in his sleep, so Bellamy kicked him harder. He woke up with a murderous look on his face. Jasper was curled over the kitchen table in what looked completely uncomfortable and when Monty shook his shoulder, he slipped onto the floor with a 'bang'. Murphy, being the groom-to-be, had taken the couch and seemed to be the only one comfortably sleeping. He saw that Simon's stuff was gone, meaning he'd likely already left to get ready. That just left-,

"Where's Benny?" Miller asked before Bellamy could.

"In here!" Benny moaned from the bathroom, "Monty, I'm going to smash every jar of Moonshine I find that you have. This is awful," He muttered, face pressed to the side of the toilet bowl.

"You swear that everytime we drink," Monty rolled his eyes. He took a couple of jars out of his bag and began passing them around. Jasper was the first to swig it down.

"Taste hasn't gotten any better," He commented on Monty's patented hangover cure, "But damn does that shock the senses."

"Smells like foot," Murphy wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah, but your alternative is to go through wedding preparations hungover. To marry Raven hungover." Monty said, putting it Murphy's palms and patting his back.

"'Nuff said," Murphy agreed, raising an eyebrow and swinging it down. He passed the last quarter of it to Bellamy, who gagged on it as he swallowed it down. Instantly, the fuzzies floated away from his mind and he could think so much clearer. This just made him more anxious. Crap.

"Nervous, bud?" Jasper nudged Murphy's shoulder.

"What's married life like?" Murphy asked.

Jasper shrugged, "Not too different. I mean, all the adults like it's so much more serious, but O and I never thought that. You live with them, so you learn their quirks pretty quickly, like did you know that Octavia will sometimes wear socks in the shower? Super weird, and things are more formal. Like, if someone insults your lady love, you can go 'that's my wife you're talking to' which sounds so much better than just 'girlfriend'. I'd say things don't get serious 'till a kid."

"Uh, thanks." Murphy said. Bellamy had a feeling that it wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. He should have probably asked Simon, but Simon (being the responsible one) had left early this morning.

"I imagine living with Raven will be downright terrifying sometimes. Ohh, I can't even imagine what she's going to be like pregnant! Mood swings are killer, dude." Jasper added. Bellamy rolled his eyes and Murphy's ears turned red. Bellamy knew they'd had sex, so it was strange the idea of Raven pregnant was making him nervous.

"You can stop talking now," Monty suggested, "I'm sure it's different for everyone." He directed his second comment at Murphy, "Kids and marriage, that is. Both. All different."

"Yep." Murphy agreed, but sounded a little too casual about it to truly be so casual.

"Hey, why don't I go down to find your suit with you? The rest of you guys can go and find Clarke and she'll tell you what she wants." Bellamy suggested. Monty glanced between them, shrugging, and gathered everyone.

"Take Benny too," Bellamy crossed his arms, "Force that stuff down his throat with a anti-nausea pill. Remind him he was the one who insisted on doing shots last night, and then doing our shots for us, if he gets cranky."

"I can hear you, you cunt." Benny wailed from the bathroom, "It's not a crime to want to have a good time. Stars-," Then, Bellamy just heard the sound of more vomiting. Monty shuddered.

"You just leave me with all the nicest of jobs, huh?" He asked dryly, "We'll see you tonight, Murphy." He said, patting John's shoulders, "It's all going to work out great, yeah?" Murphy, though, seemed almost despondent. His whole demeanor had completely changed, and he was gnawing on his lip. This kid had been ready to marry Raven since they were small, Bellamy didn't believe for a single second it was the wedding giving him jitters.

Bellamy managed to take Murphy out into the hall, out of the hustle and bustle of the room and curious ears, "What gives?"

"How can I be a good father?" Murphy finally asked, knowing full well what Bellamy was asking about and could not pretend otherwise, "When this kid's lineage is going to be nothing but trouble, just asking for it to fall of the rails. Two grandmothers with addiction who abandoned their child. A near fuck-up for a father."

"A grandfather who loved his son so much he'd die for him. Another grandfather who is a genius, but not as big as a genius as its mother, who is the strongest person we know," Bellamy reminded him, "A father who- although looks down on himself, which is bullshit- is going to be good because he's already starting to ask these questions. Plus, over 40 aunts and uncles who would do anything for these kids."

When Murphy was silent, Bellamy continued, "Yeah, this kid'll have a tough time, he or she will have a lot to overcome. However, you and Raven are going to give this kid everything. You'll love this kid and unconditional love really makes a difference. If I didn't have my mother…well, I came from nothing and my mom worked against every obstacle so I could be where I am today."

"Okay, so we do our best and raise this kid to the best of our abilities," Murphy agreed, "But what if this plan we're doing does go south? What if we bring a kid into this world only to have to watch them die slowly and painfully because a measurement is fucked or a piece doesn't pass inspection or-,"

"Well, you don't have to have a kid immediately after marriage. There's that grace period. I mean, couldn't you wait a little to see how things will go? Maybe in a year you'll have a better sense of this project?" Bellamy offered.

There was a silence, empty air between them. Murphy was trying very hard to not look at Bellamy at all, scratching his neck and staring at the ground as though it had suddenly become fascinating. Bellamy read his lack of sharp-witted comments in an instant, stifling a groan as he tongued the inside of his cheek, "Raven's pregnant already, isn't she?"

"We…" Murphy was still not looking at Bellamy, "It wasn't planned to happen this soon, obviously."

Bellamy let it sit in. Murphy nearly jumped out of his skin when Bellamy took him into a bear hug, "Congrats, John. Really."

"No disappointed Papa Bear face?" Murphy teased, which told Bellamy had maybe he'd said all the right things.

"No! It was an inevitability and plus, well, we could use some good news, huh?" Bellamy let go, patting Murphy's shoulder, "Don't listen to those tiny, evil voices. You will be a really good dad."

"I'm going to do everything I can to try," Murphy gave a shaky laugh, "It's crazy. This thing…my kid…it's not even really human yet and you can't tell, Raven's hardly along but I just love it so much already. I feel like I've gone mad. Stars, you know?"

Bellamy thought of Octavia, from the moment his mother had pressed his tiny child palms to her belly and he'd felt his sister kick as his mother explained what this all meant. He'd loved Octavia with a fevor unparalleled to anything he felt before. He was a little afraid of how strongly his emotions would overwhelm him when he and Clarke had a kid, but it was a good fear, "Yeah, I actually do know."

XXxxXX

"Yeah, the boys were drunk last night," Octavia said, casting one quick glance over the group of men who had come to Clarke's asking how they could help.

"And they think they're so sneaky," Raven laughed, "I guess as long as John appears at the altar and isn't completely hung over, there's not much I can ask for. But if he is-,"

"If he is, that means Bellamy probably is too, and I will kill them both for you." Clarke cut in, "No need to lift a finger on your wedding day! A good maid of honor does whatever is needed of her, including murder."

"Ooh! Let me help hide the bodies. I love a good drama," Harper giggled. Clarke knew that out of the many videos and shows that survived on the Ark, Harper had watched through all of the 'mystery/murder' category thrice over.

"It might have been easier if they didn't all smell of Monty's patented hangover cure. That stench just follows you," Raven scrunched her nose and waved her hand in front of her nose, "But even without that…"

It wasn't hard to tell; they all arrived roughly the same time wearing the same clothes from last night. Octavia only needed to take one look at her husband and it was immediately obvious to her. But, what really set everyone else off, was Benny's face was still a little pale and he winced into the pale light of Clarke's apartment. Plus, Monty trailed behind them, trying very hard not to look frustrated.

"Frankly, I'm not sure why you insist on calling me and Bellamy the dad of the group when Monty is looking at them all like he wants to ground them," Clarke said, rolling her eyes.

"Monty's more like…an older brother. The eldest child, I guess," Harper corrected, "You and Bellamy are still mom and dad."

"Jasper and I are the rebellious family members," Octavia said, continuing the joke, "Miller and Bryan are the gay uncles that no one can hate, Harper is the quirky daughter, and Raven is totally the vodka aunt."

"What's Murphy, then?"

"The uncle whose sorta an ass, but everyone knows he has a heart full of fluff," Octavia said, "Jasper and I have had a very long discussion about the roles we'd be. It's vitally important. We tagged everyone in the group, actually. And then some. We have 50 people typecasted."

"On any other day, I'd be hella curious," Harper laughed, "But today-,"

"Right. Wedding." Octavia went behind Raven and started playing with her hair, "Whatcha thinking of doing? Braids? Bun? Curled?"

"Uhhh…" Raven gave a half-hearted shrug, "Any?"

"Raven, out of all of us, would be the least likely to sit around and dream about her future wedding." Bree gave a soft laugh, to which Raven gave a 'guilty-as-charged' sort of look to Octavia.

"I used to look through some old bridal magazines that Miller's mom had. All the white poofy dresses. I had my favorites memorized." Clarke said, handing a box of bobby pins to Octavia, who had decided internally how to do Raven's hair.

"I jokingly made Zoe act out marriage with me, when we were really young, and we used flour as flower petals. I don't think I've ever seen my mom so torn between being furious and trying not to laugh." Harper threw in, a sad smile gracing everyone's faces when they thought of Zoe, and how she should be here too, maybe thinking of her own wedding.

"I had only time to think about my future wedding. I planned it over thirty times, I'd guess." Octavia said, trumping everyone's imaginations.

"Who'd you imagine marrying?" Raven asked, tilting her head up. Octavia set her head back and continued pinning.

"It didn't matter. The wedding itself did. Though, when I was super young, Bellamy managed to snag some old magazines for awhile and I was certifiably obsessed with an old movie star named Taylor Lautner, no matter he was so incredibly dead by the time I found out about him. For years, I dreamed that maybe like his great-great-great grandson or something made it on one of the ships and I'd get out and meet him. Then, oh, don't laugh…for awhile, it was Simon." Her face was bright red.

"Our Simon?" Harper spit out her water, "You and him?"

"I doubt he ever liked me. He was just the first guy I met that wasn't my brother. But then, I met Jasper." Octavia added.

"Was your wedding like you imagined?" Raven asked, trying hard not to tilt her head up to ask her question.

"Nothing at all," Octavia proclaimed, "But that's what made it great. You love Murphy, don't you?"

"More than anything," Raven agreed.

"It doesn't matter then. However this wedding goes, you'll love it." Octavia said. There was a pause, "And, so we get away from all that mushy stuff, I'm super glad you said you love Murphy, because well," She poked Raven in the side with a wicked grin, "It truly shows there's someone for everyone."

XXxxXX

"Bell, hey, before we go over…can we make a quick stop somewhere? My house?" Murphy grabbed Bellamy's arms, tugging him back.

"What do you need, I can grab it," Bellamy offered, hiking a box of things to his left hip, using his other hand to gesture back, "You should get going."

"It's not something as much as someone…" Murphy trailed off.

"Look, Mr. and Mrs. Collins already promised to try to drag Raven's mom to the ceremony, but I don't know if you could even do that if she doesn't want to." Bellamy winced. He doubted that Raven would even miss her mother, since she'd been living basically as an orphan her entire life.

"Can we just…please?" Murphy asked, motining back.

Bellamy checked one of the wall clocks, "I guess. We still have about half an hour until the ceremony." He said, but didn't like the idea of cutting it so close. If it were up to Bellamy, he'd have been at the hall hours ago, just in case something went wrong. Honestly, he had been shocked Murphy would be there even more than ten minutes before, but something else was bound to happen.

They make a quick detour to the Collin's residence, where Bellamy knew that Murphy's things no longer truly were anymore. Or, at the very least, it was all packed into boxes to be moved to his new apartment he'd be getting with Raven, available for them after the wedding. Usually, it was up to the best friends to move the boxes of the pair into their new abode, so they didn't have to worry about a thing and could enjoy their union. Bellamy had made plans to do so already; the same group that had gotten roaring drunk the night previous would be hauling boxes across the Ark.

It would be a good workout for all of them, Bellamy decided.

Murphy's things were right by the door. Bellamy still hadn't figured out what (or who) Murphy was grabbing, until he saw Finn sitting by his desk, little pieces of sheet metal spread around him.

"I know Raven invited you and she'll kick you into next week if you don't come." Murphy broke the silence. Finn turned, unsurprised to see Murphy standing at his door.

"Yeah, but," he ran his fingers through his hair, "Didn't want to make any waves, or whatever. She'll survive." His smile was tight. Bellamy couldn't imagine what it would be like to be invited to Clarke's wedding, if she was set to marry Wells or Monty or something. He couldn't go, he had a feeling. He didn't know if he could bear it.

"Finn, c'mon." Murphy said, looking unsure.

"Hey, you can tell your future wife you tried." Finn held up his hands, "So."

"I'm not coming for Raven," Murphy dragged a hand down his face, "Oh, fucking hell. Look, I'm asking for me. I want you there."

There was a slow moment when Finn just stared at Murphy.

"What?"

"I know we've had our…differences, but when it comes down to it, you are my brother. I was adopted into your family years ago, and I've been living with you guys for longer than I was with my birth parents, do you realize?" Murphy was almost ranting now. This was how he showed affection, Bellamy knew- with anger.

"I…didn't-,"

"And, well, maybe it's a good thing we fight, you know? Because on some level down, I care for you and you care for me and not only would it kill Raven if you weren't there, but I'd be angry at you forever too. You've been respectful of us since the last time Raven turned you down. If you're still in love with her, fine, because Raven is a hella fine girl and if you're not in love with her, maybe you're gay or something. Look, don't make me pull out the 'l' word, because I will, but I don't want to." Murphy finished, scowling, "So, just, get your ass dressed, okay man? I want you, with Bell, to be my two signature witnesses."

"I…" Finn shot Bellamy a wild gaze over Murphy's shoulder, "Yeah. Sure. Uhm, give me ten minutes."

"You have five," Murphy snarked.

Finn gave a genuine smile, "Oh, thank stars. I thought you were totally gone for a second there." He said. He got up, about to go into his closet, but then paused. Before Murphy could protest, he grabbed Murphy and pulled him into a hug.

"You're not that bad yourself, half the time." Finn said, patting his back, "I'll be quick." He promised, his shoulders settling as he relaxed.

"I think that means he loves you too." Bellamy nudged Murphy, grinning.

XXxxXX

As Raven shoved cake at Murphy's face, getting it all up into his hair, Jasper gave a sigh beside the group of friends.

"That's nauseatingly cute, isn't it? Why didn't we shove cake in each other's faces?" He asked, turning to Octavia.

"I can still shove cake in your face now," Octavia raised an eyebrow, "As well as other places-,"

"Okay, okay. Nope, quiet." Bellamy covered his ears.

"Mind out of the gutter, Bell!" Jasper gasped in faux offence.

"Yeah, I was talking about his hands, so he can eat it," Octavia jumped on right away, "My poor little virginal ears don't want to even know what you're suggesting."

"Virginal, huh?" Harper asked, completely deadpanned, as she stared at where Sebastian Jordan was currently in a baby chair, throwing corn cereal flakes at Galileo Horn.

"Absolutely." Jasper said, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders, "Virgin mother. Hey!" He raised a finger, a smirk creeping across his face, "We could make a religion out of that."

He was pelted with at least four or fives hits to his side. Even if a lot of their traditions were steeped in Catholicism, it was more of an old pagan religion than anything else.

"Well," Clarke clapped her hands, coming up to the group, "It seems everything's in order."

"Before Murphy and Raven decide to, uh, consummate," Benny wiggled an eyebrow, "Should we get a'movin?"

"Huh, that was actually a good idea, Benny," Clarke rubbed her chin. Benny preened.

"I do have those on occasion."

The group was mostly there. The only people they needed to grab was Bree and Wells, who were dancing to some old Earth pop-tune. Finn had seen the group starting to assemble and had nodded to his parents, meeting them by the door. On their way out, Hendrick saw what they were doing, and offered to join, while his wife watched Jasper and Octavia's kid with their own.

Benny and Simon had managed to procure a large flat cart used for carrying metal and electronic coils around the Ark, which greatly expedited the process. Murphy had been the higher station, at a 4, but the room they'd been given was a 3. For the work Raven was doing, Bellamy was surprised they weren't offered a 2 or a 1. Or, maybe they had, but Raven had found it useless, if they wouldn't be using it in less than three years.

Bellamy swallowed hard, trying not to think about that.

They were given some standard furniture, and a few choice pieces, such as a real wood nightstand or an old armchair- that while sewed and taped in more places than fabric actually existed- was far more comfortable than the metal Ark furniture that existed. Bellamy vaguely wondered who, as they were evacuating Earth, had thought it immensely important to bring an armchair? Well, Murphy and Raven would thank whoever that had been.

Between the thirteen of them, taking everything out of the boxes and setting up the house didn't take much time at all. It wasn't a large living situation, but it was far above acceptable. Benny and Simon started arranging the bathroom. Wells and Bree took the kitchen. Harper, Monty, and Miller argued about the best way to arrange the living room. Hendrick organized the food into very precise categories. Octavia and Jasper made the bed and put up the few pictures they'd managed to collect. Clarke put away Raven's clothes, Bellamy and Finn put away Murphy's.

As their friends finished, they waved goodbye, and took the respective boxes from their area to take back down to the box storage, before likely heading back to the party. Eventually, it was just Finn, Clarke, and Bellamy. Their job had taken perhaps the shortest, but since Bellamy had been the main one to arrange this group and the moving, it was up to him (he thought) to make sure everything was precisely perfect.

Finn seemed to be waiting to unveil something in the last box. Bellamy watched as he carefully lifted the lid, before going to a hook installed in the ceiling, that the last tenants may have used to hang a plant or a fancy light. Finn, instead, hung a wire assortment of little metal sheet animals. As Bellamy stared at it, the word came to him in a flash.

Mobile.

He coughed hard, in surprise, "They told you?"

Clarke didn't look nearly as surprised as he would have thought. She was examining the delicate animals Finn had constructed with a watery look in her eye.

"Uhm, yeah. I confirmed it," Clarke said, turning.

"Not you. Finn."

Finn blushed, scratching the back of his head and looking down, "Not in so many words. But, I know them both too well not to notice. Murphy started getting really antsy whenever Raven did something mildly dangerous and Raven was making sure to at least eat two meals a day. She's never been that on top of her own personal health. It was only a hop to come to this conclusion." Finn lightly tapped it, and it caught the lights in the room, shining, "Seemed the least I could make."

"I'm sure they'll adore it," Clarke gushed, "What can we do to get you to make one for us?"

Finn glanced at Clarke's stomach.

"Do you have some good news too?"

"No," Clarke laughed, "I mean, eventually, when it does happen." She corrected.

"Oh," Finn shrugged, "For you? You find me the metal and it's a deal. You staying around? I think the room looks perfect."

"Oh, you know Bell. He'll obsessively organize the like three books they have, make sure all the fixtures are working, maybe rearrange Murphy's shoes." Clarke shrugged, "We might be here awhile," She was giggling though.

"I just want them to have a nice space! That too much to ask?" Bellamy felt personally attacked.

Finn raised an eyebrow, "Well, have fun you two. I'll try to save you a piece of Roma's cake, but I make zero promises. Try to get back before the party's over," He teased.

Clarke saluted him, and then he was gone.

"I'll make this quick," Bellamy grumbled, clearly a little hurt.

"I was trying to get rid of him, Bell," Clarke stepped forward to him, kissing him softly.

"Oh?" Bellamy didn't get it.

"Just do your checks. I'll be here waiting," Clarke said, sitting down, grabbing his pad and opening to his book archive. He assumed she was just going to make herself busy, and shrugged. After he'd done his meticulous run through, and it only took him thirty-seven minutes, he returned to the bedroom.

"Hey, you ready to…" He trailed off, blinking rapidly.

"I think there's one more area you haven't properly checked out," Clarke said, lounging on the bed in nothing but her underwear.

Bellamy felt his face flush hard and he let out a strangled sound, somewhat like a choking noise.

"Clarke!"

"Oh, come on! It's been far too long," Clarke said, swinging her legs over the bed and pulling him toward her by the fabric of his shirt, right between her legs.

Bellamy groaned, shaking his head. She was making it extremely hard to keep his head afloat.

"Murphy and Raven-,"

"Won't come back until we do. They'll think we're just arranging picture frames or something." Clarke had clearly been thinking about this for a long time. Bellamy bit his hand, trying to hold back a groan.

"No, this is weird. This is their bed!"

"It's revenge," Clarke said plainly, "Do you know that Raven gave Murphy a blowjob in your bathroom?"

"In mine...like my mom's unit?" Bellamy made a face, "Ugg, gross!"

"And that they've had sex two times at my place, both on my bed. It's only fair," She pleaded, standing up to kiss him, pressing against him, "Doesn't it feel sexy to be doing something so dirty?" Her tone darkened to a velvety purr.

"Cla-,"

"Shh...live a little."

"I'm an guardsmen and this is breaking a lot of rules, I'm sure."

"You didn't seem to mind too much when we fucked in your office," Clarke pointed out, leaning up to take him into a deepend kiss, "For me, Bell?"

Bellamy grabbed her face, giving a sharp nod, "We both know I wasn't going to last long," He said, his laugh rumbling against her lips.

"I can't wait until this is us." Clarke said, grabbing his wrists, letting him push her back onto the bed, "In our own room. Our own space. Having sex as much as we want."

"I think about it daily." Well, he thought of sex with Clarke daily. Often it was about the future, but she didn't need to know that, "But we should be careful. I mean, do we want to make it obvious?"

"No. Just the knowledge we got back at 'em will be enough," Clarke decided, "Now shut up and strip."

Bellamy licked down her chest with a toothy grin, "Yes ma'am."

XXxxXX

Attention all citizens of the Ark. We regret to inform you that due to a technical error, the Port side of the Ark will be shut down until 20:00 hours tonight. We apologize for any inconveniences. There is no need for any concerns, this is just a average routine maintenance check-up.

Bellamy lifted his head, humming with thought. He reached for his pad, dismissing Guardsman Couler as he did so, assuring the new and worried member of the Guard that he was doing just fine in classes.

As far as he'd known, there had been no notices or messages about any repairs going on. And to shut down a whole side of the Ark? This seemed serious.

It was a month and a half after Murphy and Raven's wedding, and things had been going...smoothly. Well, as smoothly as things could be going, considering the fact that Bellamy felt weighed down with the knowledge daily that their lives all might end in three years, and it was majorly giving him existential crises, but apart from that, day to day life was fine.

He and Clarke had found more than once a week to have sex. His guardsmen were performing admirably. No major issues had occurred. His nephew was adorable. He was planning on the perfect moment to ask Clarke to marry him.

Things were good.

Which is why Bellamy wasn't surprised at this announcement, but rather confused.

He told Miller (younger) that he was going out for a break, but veered toward the port of the Ark rather than meeting up with Clarke.

While walking, he flipped through the pad with a furrowed brow, looking for any indication of service.

Perhaps, at any other time, he would have never given this a second thought. However, with the climate of the Ark of late, Bellamy was prone to worrying.

The port halls were blocked and even his high-ranking code could not grant him access, something that immediately set alarm bells off in his mind.

Luckily, he knew- thanks to his brother-in-law-the best and most effective back passages through the Ark. Contorting his body to crawl through the wall wasn't comfortable, but Bellamy was stubbornly on the case of this.

Popping out on the other side of the wall, he was met with...absolute silence. Silence so quiet it we eerie.

If there was maintenance to be down, Bellamy expected noise. A lot of noise, to be honest. Overwhelming noise. Or, even just people talking, because you didn't shut down an entire side of the Ark for a one-person job.

Bellamy walked the entire perimeter of the Port Side, but did not see a single soul. He traced his steps carefully, past the Earth Observation window, past the silent mess hall, past every room in that whole area. Not even the hint of a person working anywhere.

As he was exiting out the way he came, he did see Murphy thought.

He blinked.

"This whole thing," He said, dragging Murphy near the locked doors, "It's a braintrust thing?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what?"

Murphy gnawed on his lips, "If I did, I couldn't say, you know that."

Bellamy tried to keep his frustration down. He inhaled hard. Murphy couldn't tell him. Didn't mean he liked being left out of the dark any more than he already was.

"Fine. It's nothing bad, right?"

"On the contrary, if all goes well, it will be a huge deal." Murphy said, sticking his hand in his pocket.

"So you do know what's going on," Bellamy said, narrowing his eyes.

"No I don't," Murphy said, but then winked, "Anyway, it's driving Raven crazy. Monty and Jasper took control of his exclusively because stress is bad for the kid. She didn't want to know the date, the result, nothing. Unless it's good of course," He added after a second of thought.

"Well, good luck with the thing you know nothing about," Bellamy said dryly.

Murphy grinned, "Thanks man. I'll pass those regards along to the pair of boy geniuses."

XXxxXX

It was five days before Bellamy heard anything else about the strange shut-down. He'd tried to edge an answer about it out of anyone in a position of power above him, but it was obvious they didn't know or weren't going to tell him. He even considered badgering Chancellor Jaha, but eventually thought better of it.

The only reason that Bellamy even heard more about it was that he literally stumbled upon their celebrations. He had been looking for Grennon, who was a smith of sorts. Like Finn, he had the natural talent to make things with his hands. Unlike Finn, it could be almost anything, if given the proper materials and enough time for trial and error. He was so unique in his skillset that the Ark had more or less made a new job for him, something Bellamy felt with pride. He was like a proud realive anytime anyone in their group achieved something of note.

Today, specifically, he was walking with his plans to see how much of his dream proposal Grennon could help with. Not unsimilar to the Christmas scene he'd created for Clarke's holiday present a couple years ago, he wanted the moment he proposed to her to be like nothing that had ever been done before.

Armin had mentioned he was at Jasper's for something, as so he went.

He knocked on the door and just heard someone telling everyone to be quiet, and then silence.

"I know you all are in there! I just wanna know if Grennon's there?"

"Oh, just Bell," A voice that sounded like Murphy said, going to open the door.

Bellamy smelled it the second the door was open. He coughed, waving away the plumes of smoke in his face.

"What's that?"

"Oh, you know exactly what it is," Jasper said, puffing out from the roll of weed. Bellamy knew that Grennon was always down for drugs, and that he specifically was the one to go to for weed. His ability to turn a box of crap into something useful was well appreciated. Jasper and Monty probably could get some too, but it was more difficult now that neither were living at Farm Station.

"Really?" Bellamy gave a look to the gathered people.

"We're celebrating." Murphy said, plucking the blunt from Jasper's fingers, "Well deserved, to be honest."

"About the...thing?" Bellamy guessed, "I don't know anything, probably no more than Grennon does. Wait, or do you know?"

"I'm just always down to celebrate." Grennon grinned.

"Years and years of stress and we've passed another hurdle," Monty interjected, so much more relaxed than he normally was, "I mean, we still have miles to go-,"

"Miles," Jasper agreed with a wide-eyed nod.

"-But it seems silly not to appreciate the small victories. Or else we'd go mad." Monty said, "Want to join? You're not on duty."

"As tempting as that is-," Bellamy began sarcastically, but was cut off by a strangled string of curse words from Murphy, who promptly shoved Bellamy into the room, and closed the door.

"Ow!"

"What?" A female voice asked, coming out from Jasper's bedroom, "Was that?"

"Cadence?" Bellamy asked, scratching his head. She seemed like the least likely person to be partaking in this. However, from the way she coughed, Bellamy got the feeling she was just here to be here with her betrothed, Grennon.

Grennon ignored them both, opening the door, stumbling into the hallway.

"Awe man, shit! He totally saw." Grennon began to hyperventilate, "It's Camps."

"Councilman Camps?" Bellamy frowned, "He saw us?"

"You had the door open?" Cadence's jaw hung open, "What the hell?"

"We're high!" Jasper threw his hands out, "You were supposed to be making sure nothing happened."

"Hey, don't take that tone with her," Grennon spun on Jasper.

"Yeah, I was in the bathroom." She pinched her nose, "I leave you idiots for five seconds...fuck, fuck!" She pointed to the group of four boys, "Stay here!"

Then, she ran out of the room, and Bellamy followed, making sure to close the door firmly behind him.

"Cadence?" He questioned, jogging to keep up with her.

"Those idiots! Camps is going right for Jaha, I know it," Cadence seethed, and Bellay did realize that they were in terrible, terrible danger.

"Yeah, but, what are you-,"

"I'm going to fix it, obviously," Cadence said in a tone that made Bellamy shudder.

"How?"

Cadence paused her rampage, turning to him. Now that she was standing, Bellamy could see how hard she was shaking. He could see tears on the edge of her eyes. She wiped them away, swallowing them back.

"I don't know, Bellamy," She replied honestly, "But I have to do something, otherwise Grennon'll be killed. Murphy too, I'm sure. I don't think that Monty or Jasper will, but do we want to know what awful thing Jaha will punish them with too? They might be killed over this," Her voice broke halfway through, "I...I won't let that happen."

Bellamy saw something flicker across her face; an idea, though he couldn't't imagine what. There was a passing of a shadow, a look of something he couldn't place, perhaps displeasure, before she seemed to resign herself to what she was about to do. Then, as though to prepare herself, Cadence exhaled hard.

"Go back to the room. Get them sober. Get rid of the evidence. Let me handle this."

She didn't wait for a response before turning sharply on her heels, before breaking into a run after Camps, leaving Bellamy standing slack-jawed in the hall.

Cadence was a smart girl. She was one of the legal aids on the Ark. She might have a far better way out of this, with a law loophole, than Bellamy could currently think of.

He went right for Clarke, who was at work.

She was chatting with Raven, who was hanging around, perhaps after a check-up. Clarke brightened at the sight of Bellamy, but he grabbed her elbow and steered her out of the hustle and bustle of the main area.

"Do you know anything to shock the senses out of being high? Or something to lessen the proof of weed in someone's blood stream?" He spoke quietly.

"What did my idiot of a husband do?" Raven had materialized next to them. Bellamy hadn't even realized she'd listened in.

Bellamy waffled. "It's not good for the baby to stress," He finally settled on. Instead of Raven backing off, she firmly grabbed his ear and pulled hard.

"What did he do?" She repeated, her tone icy.

Bellamy fumbled over his explanation, true worry setting in and making him unable to articulate clearly. Clarke and Raven seemed to get the jist of it, however, because Clarke's face turned white and Raven started using cuss words even Bellamy hadn't ever heard of.

Clarke's fingers shook as she opened the medicine cabinet.

"We're breaking rules doing this," Clarke said, coming back up with two syringes.

"We are so far past that, Princess," Bellamy snorted. She nodded, running her fingers through her hair.

"Right, yes, duh." She tried to give a smile, but it was shaking, "And, it wouldn't be the first time we, uh, went outside the laws of the Ark. This, in comparison, seems tame to just be stealing the solution."

"If it works…" Bellamy wrungs his hands, "It will be worth it."

"It will make it less obvious. It can't hide it completely, but it will mask it effectively. Someone would have to dig really, really far to find it in their blood or hair follicles. And you said Cadence went after him? Unless they have video proof or something, it would be a lot of time and wasted effort to follow up to confirm it. Plus, Candice probably will find a way to prove them innocent. Right?"

"I sure as hell hope so."

Clarke darted out to fake a smile to her mother, telling her she was going on her lunch break.

"You can't come," Bellamy interrupted, "It can't be good for the baby, right?" He said, looking at Clarke.

"I'm not. Why don't you think I was there now?" Raven snapped, "I'm going to go find Wells. He might have some ideas too. Maybe Al." She said, and Bellamy gave a sigh of relief.

Clarke pulled Bellamy outside.

"Okay, so you give each of them three-,"

"I thought you were coming too?" Bellamy frowned.

"I'm going to find Octavia. She deserves to know." Clarke said calmly, "Now listen. Three milligrams each. No less, no more. Find a vein on their arms, like this," She tapped the underside of her own arm, "And then hide the syringes somewhere in my apartment. I'll get rid of them."

Bellamy listened with grave intensity. Clarke reached up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Bellamy rolled the syrgines around on his palm, just for a moment, just to let his utter terror wash over him before he buckled down and went back. He refused to even consider the very real possibly that he might lose his friends tonight.

XXxxXX

There was no news for six hours. Which, in itself, was equally a relief and utterly terrifying. It would take Jaha zero time to summon the group if he thought this claim was true, and wouldn't just sit on it all night. the fact that they hadn't been asked to report to the council, in itself, was perhaps a miracle.

It didn't set them off edge, however. After giving them the liquid, Bellamy went to stash the syringes as Clarke had instructed. When he returned, Monty and Jasper were fiddling with the air vents to get rid of the smell with a casualness that told Bellamy they'd done this before.

They'd just never gotten caught.

After the air was clear, Raven returned back. Octavia and Sebastian too, Clarke in toe. Wells stopped by, giving them mildy disapproving looks, before saying that the fact he hadn't been asked to sit in the council yet was indicative of a small hope. A very small hope, however.

They all sat in Jasper's room, silent, trying to play a board game that Clarke retrieved from her room, but it was pointless. They were all just too worried.

Finally, after six hours and twenty-seven minutes, Cadence returned. She held herself together, up until the point she closed the door, sliding against it and breaking into sobs.

"You're fine, you'll be okay," She said, but her crying didn't exactly match her words. She seemed too upset. These weren't tears of joy. Not of sadness, Bellamy realized, but of a much deeper emotion.

"Can," Grennon whispered, taking her into his arms, patting her head.

"How?" Murphy broke the silence, frowning, "What did you do?"

"I did what I had to," Cadence said, her words fraying as she hiccuped, "And I...I…"

"Shh, breathe," Raven cooed, rubbing her back, "Should we be expecting an inquisition?"

"No. He won't tell Jaha. Never." Cadence said, eyes red, sniffling.

"What? He pinky promised?" Murphy's tone was unnecessarily cruel, but Bellamy understood. He was more afraid than Bellamy thought he'd ever seen him. If he was floated, he wouldn't just be leaving Raven, but his unborn child. There was so much more at stake for him.

Cadence wordlessly took out her pad from her side bag, sliding it across the floor. Clarke picked it up, her eyes widening at whatever was on the screen. She turned down the volume to silent, and tapped it. Bellamy couldn't see it from the angle of the room he was standing, but Jasper looked over Clarke's shoulder and snapped his head away quickly, face redding. Octavia was prompted to look, after seeing her husband's reaction, and mouthed 'holy shit'.

"What is it?" Murphy snapped.

"Blackmail." Clarke said swiftly, shutting the pad off.

"You and Bellamy and Raven all have copies," Cadence said, "And Raven needs to encrypt it, so it can't be deleted."

Raven stood, grabbing the pad away and setting to work. Her eyebrow twitched at the content, but her face smoothed over and she started typing away.

"Cad, oh, babe," Grennon whispered. He seemed to maybe have a guess. Bellamy felt lost. He had no idea what sort of blackmail it would be.

"I know we were both going to wait," Cadence whispered against his skin, linking his fingers with him, "Until our wedding. And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-,"

"You just saved my life. All of ours," Grennon assured her quickly, "It doesn't matter. We'll still wait, it doesn't matter."

"Wait," Monty's face paled, "Camps was the one who was always looking at your ass, wasn't he?"

Shit, Bellamy thought, realizing that he was slightly aware of a thread of information that now seemed very pertinent to this whole thing, "You put in a report he'd said some lewd things to you, hadn't you?"

Cadence nodded hard, "I knew if I...if I offered it…especially since I hadn't..."

"So you traded your virginity for silence?" Murphy was always a little too blunt. Octavia hushed him sharply, covering Sebastian's ears.

"Yes. But I'm not one to just have one assurance, because his word means nothing to me."

"Thus the tape? His wife probably wouldn't like to see that," Raven said with a snort from where she was working, "It's quite...hmm."

"More than that. Camps likes to keep souvenirs."

"Fucking psycho," Jasper whispered under his breath.

"Lucky for us," Cadence reached into her bag and pulled out maybe thirty pairs of underwear, "All his...conquests. He'll realize quickly I have them and he tells Jaha? I not only tell his wife, I leak that video onto everyone's pads and hang those underwear- with the names he kept with them- like tinsel around his door."

"If that video gets out, your career will probably be over too," Clarke's voice was soft.

Cadence just gave a laugh, "I realize that. Oh, of course I do."

"Why, Cadence?" Monty asked, "You didn't have too...we...you…"

Cadence pulled her shirt down, just enough so that when she turned, her group tattoo was visible on her shoulder blade. Her eyes burned with a fire.

"It was worth it, because this group...it's not just some friends. We're family. Family protects each other, no matter what. No cost is too high." She insisted, the conviction in her voice firm and unwavering, "I have no doubt most of you would do the same for me, for anyone. I couldn't even think about letting any of you die more than I could imagine my parents dying, or Grennon."

"God, Thompson, I owe you so much," Jasper breathed.

"Yeah," She agreed, "You sorta do. But like I said, I did it because I honestly love all of you. But, being super-duper nice to me would be appreciated."

"Let's get you home," Grennon helped her stand, "You good there, Raven?"

"It will be impossible to get rid of," Raven replied, not even bothering to look up.

"We'll walk you." Clarke offered, nodding to Bellamy.

They escorted Grennon and Cadence silently back to Cadence's house, where Clarke hugged her, before allowing her inside.

There wasn't much to say for a second, as they stood there together.

Then, there was everything.

"You know?" Clarke murmured, "I get it. I see it now. I get why all those elders did that. They were...protecting us, their family. They'd do anything, and they did. And maybe there are some secrets that are too great for everyone to know, you know?" Clarke gave a harsh laugh, pressing her palms into her eyes, "I just...stars, that didn't make a lick of sense, huh? I used to want to know what the hell they were doing, but now maybe I don't think I want to know. And if I don't think I could handle the truth, then there are certainly people on this ark that shouldn't. Most of the ark, to be honest."

Bellamy stared at her, her lettings his words seep into his mind. Clarke stood there, biting her lip.

"Bellamy, I have something-,"

"Clarke, do-"

They spoke over each other at the same time, realizing this and they both gave a little laugh.

"You first," Bellamy waved a hand.

"No, no…" Clarke played with a strand of her hair, "Uh, you. Please," She squeaked.

"Okay," Bellamy said, blinking. He inhaled hard, hands going into his pocket. As soon as his fingers brushed the item he never left without anymore, he began to talk.

"I was going to find another time for this. Make a spectacle of it, you know? Make it memorable. But, that doesn't matter. Our friends almost died. I could have been added in to, and it just made me realize how silly it is that I keep waiting for some big moment. I've had this long enough," He slowly lowered himself to one knee. Clarke's breathe caught in her throat, wordless, as he pulled out the antique ring box he'd found, "Marry me, Clarke. Not because we're betrothed, not because Jaha is telling us we have to. Marry me because I love you. Marry me because I know that, one way or another, we would have found each other. Marry me because I can't imagine life without you."

He opened the box to reveal the ring.

Clarke nodded frantically, sliding into a puddle on the floor, kissing Bellamy frantically.

"Yes, yes! Oh, Bell, of course." She agreed, her voice somewhere between sobs and joyous laughter.

"You had something to tell me too?" Bellamy asked.

"I don't know if I want to follow up that," Clarke twittered, "Damn, I should have gone first."

"I have something else to tell you too," Bellamy said, absolutely sure he could tell CLarke at least what he knew about the decaying Ark without her telling anyone else, "I can tell you now."

"No, I'll speak. I guess I've been looking for the right moment too." Clarke said. Then, she said nothing at all.

Bellamy frowned, waiting.

"I was going to make some cute announcement for you too, you know? But I think it's better doing it now. I agree; life is too short to wait for good news." Clarke said.

"Ok...ay?"

Clarke grabbed his hand, smiling softly, and kissed it. Bellamy raised a curious eyebrow, but he couldn't help but admire the ring on her finger, feeling a sense of uncontainable glee.

"You going to get around to telling me that thing?" Bellamy asked, "Because if not, I can think of something else we could be doing," He said, leaning in to nuzzle her neck, biting at her collarbone.

"Patience," Clarke murmured, guiding his hand down. At first, Bellamy thought she was going to have them do it in the hallway, or in a closet near-by, just for old time's sake. But, she paused at her stomach, placing her hand there.

No, not quite her stomach.

Oh.

"Are you serious?" Bellamy said after a few seconds where he finally remembered where his tongue was, "How far along? Have you been feeling okay? How long have you known? Is it okay?" Bellamy was overwhelmed with questions, unable to stop himself, "Oh, stars, Clarke," He said, pulling her against him, "I can't believe it."

"Good disbelief?"

"I think you topped what I had to tell you, that's for sure," Bellamy said.

"I'm fine. A little morning sickness, but nothing awful. Not like Raven. I've known for three days. It's fine, as far as my mom could see. I'm between five and six weeks." Clarke answered, and Bellamy was surprised she was able to retain his waterfall of questions, "We're gunna be parents, Bell."


BELLAMY AND CLARKE AND HAVING A BABY ALL! HE PROPOSED! GOOD THINGS ALL AROUND!

So, now that I've actually merged this story into the modern era, and uploaded my computer files onto my Google Docs account, I hope to write chapters faster. This story will be finished I swear to god. The fact I still was writing it on a Word dox tells you how long I've been writing this fic XD

So, in news-

*That season...well, I was hoping for Bellarke, but *throws hands up*. I still have hope, but it's just giving me a lot of anxiety. But as for good things, Murphy looked hot as heck the entire time!

*I'm into Riverdale and both Wells and Bryan have appeared as characters this season, which is just werid af to watch, because I'm like 'you're not a punky kid...you're Bryan...'

*Within the last year or so, I started doing a 'thank you' sort of program, where if you review ten times on a story, you get a drabble with a couple and trope of your choice written by me! I went back and tallied all the reviews, and those that have gained a review are as follows: Artimiz, CallMeGigi, CheriEstella (you've got 2), Emperor's Sister, heidi1245401, jadegurl2, Kimber, nexitye (you've got 2!), and red656. If you want to claim a drabble, go read the info on my profile about it and either drop me a DM or a review!

Sorry that took so long. Hopefully the fluffies are worth it :)