Alicia POV

I hovered in the doorway for a few moments as I gauged what my new travelling companions were doing with their time. Octavia sat on the arm of the ancient looking couch, angled towards the window so that she could cast her gaze out over the motel entrance. Atom and Murphy could be heard through the thin walls of the next room going through drawers and cupboards as they exchanged what they considered to be witty comments.

A number of candles had been lit throughout the room, now that darkness had fallen outside it was our only source of light.

After a slight hesitation I moved further into the room and claimed the side of the couch furthest from Octavia, who continued to stare unblinkingly out of the window. She seemed to be a tough character, undoubtedly shaped by the new world to survive whatever came her way. After being tackled to the ground by the girl, I had no reservations about her ability to take on danger, living or otherwise.

'Gum?' I offered, remembering the packet that I had been saving, shoved safely into the back pocket of my jeans.

'Sure,' the she said, swivelling on the arm of the couch to face me. 'You found it?'

'Well, Elyza did, but she let me keep hold of it,' I explained, pulling out the foil packet to hand over a strip.

Octavia said nothing in return and popped the gum in her mouth, resting an arm on the cushion as she observed me curiously.

'What's the story between you two?' Octavia inquired, 'When Elyza left she wasn't exactly in the mood for company.'

'She saved my life, multiple times really. My family were long gone and I guess we sort of got stuck with each other,' I said slowly, not needing or wanting to go into the finer details.

Octavia snorted, miraculously managing not to choke on her gum in the process.

'I should've guessed, Elyza could never resist a damsel in distress,' she chuckled, noting how I immediately bristled at the comment.

'Things have changed since then, I can handle myself.'

Octavia nodded, the humour falling away as her expression returned to it's previous seriousness.

'I'm sure you can, Elyza wouldn't keep company with a useless dead weight, there must be something she sees in you.'

I paused, meeting her gaze, unsure if this was one of her concealed insults but there was no malice in her eyes. The tension fell away as a smirk grew on her lips.

'You could pass the mark on your cheek off as a battle scar, unless you'd rather tell people what really happened.'

'I think you'll find I had just bested Elyza before you intervened and took me off guard,' I scoffed, reminded of the sting in my cheek now that she mentioned it. It must have been convincing if Octavia had considered me a threat to her friend.

'Well maybe one day we'll have a spar and see what you're really made of,' she said, clearly confident that there was no competition on my part.

'From what I've seen it looks like you were raised to by assassins, you could always give me a few pointers though,' I suggested, not fancying my chances against her anytime in the future.

'Smart,' Octavia commented, 'I see why Elyza likes you.'

And just like that it seemed that the air between us cleared. Any early suspicions about my presence had dissolved and I found myself liking this girl, her attitude and bravado a fresh experience.

Elyza's POV

'And he turned in the backseat?'

I nodded, recalling the time when Alicia and I had been pressed into giving someone a lift. We hadn't made that mistake since.

'Sounds like you've been having quite the adventure,' Bellamy added from where he sat next to me on the lumpy mattress.

'I'm sure it's not been easy going for you guys either. What were you doing in this area anyway?'

I could tell that something was wrong, I knew Bellamy well enough in that respect. Something had happened and he had brought the small group to Santa Fe for a reason. Octavia, Murphy and Atom may not have gotten along all of the time, but they worked well together and were a selection of the most adept survivors from the group. That had to mean something.

'I'll fill you and Alicia in at the same time later, no point telling the same story twice,' he finally replied. 'You two seem to be quite the close unit, I'm glad you found someone.'

We had come across more than a few grief stricken individuals in the past who had been driven near crazy by the relentless pressure of surviving on a day to day basis without a single soul to keep them company. Some had never thought that they would see another living human again. I believed myself to be strong enough to avoid such a dark outcome, but it was certainly more bearable in this new world with a friendly face at your side.

'Who's running operations whilst you're away?' I asked, the thought suddenly occurring to me that Octavia would usually be overseeing the base if Bellamy was away.

'I've left the place in Ravens capable hands.'

'Good choice, she'll keep everything running smoothly.'

Bellamy would have no reason to rush back to base with it taken care of. I couldn't think of a better person to take the reins.

'We've been gone for almost a week now though,' Bellamy explained, 'we should be getting back soon or they'll start to worry.'

'I'm glad you're all doing well, I wasn't sure if I would actually see any of you again,' I confessed, having accepted that my departure could have been very final. Anything could have happened in my absence.

'It's definitely good to see you again, you've not changed a bit,' Bellamy replied, smiling fondly at the many memories we shared.

'You've become soft,' I teased, bumping him with my shoulder. He smiled back, but I could still see the tension that lined his expression, worries not far from mind even in this relatively safe environment.

I rose to my feet and stretched, rocking my head to the side, easing the stiffness in my neck.

'Lets fill the others in on the plan for tomorrow, then we can get some rest,' I said, tiredness beginning to creep up on me, and Bellamy nodded his agreement.

I was surprised to see a smile on both of the girls faces when Bellamy and I finally returned to the living area. An expression that, from what I could remember, was often difficult to draw from Octavia.

Alicia appeared surprisingly relaxed in this unexpected situation, eyes wide as she listened intently to what was most likely one of Octavia's many impressive tales of close encounters with danger. I had heard them all before, and witnessed a handful, from hoards of the dead in an underground parking lot, to an intense show down with a gang of gun wielding nutters.

After being thrown in with this new group of people I was pleased to see that Alicia was settling in well, even managing a light laugh at Octavia's wild gestures.

'Oh hey,' Octavia managed, her eyes fixing in my direction as Bellamy and I stepped fully into the room.

'Hey to you, anything exciting I've missed?'

Bellamy slipped past me as I came to a halt, claiming the armchair opposite the couch on which Octavia and Alicia shared an unreadable glance.

'I was just getting Alicia to clarify how easily she put you on your back, just to make sure I didn't miss any details,' Octavia said mockingly, resting one arm lazily over the back of the couch as the glint in her eyes dared me to argue the point.

'Alright children, can we have an adult conversation now? Just for a moment, then you can get back to whatever this is,' Murphy drawled, leaning nonchalantly against the door frame.

'You're one to talk,' Octavia scoffed, earning a glare from Murphy as he moved into the room and flopped down onto the floor, settling into a cross-legged position by the table.

'Sorry that I want to get out of this flea pit and back to base,' he muttered, gesturing to our surroundings with disdain, almost knocking the candle from the table in the process.

I ignored his complaints and went to pull a chair over from the dining area, positioning it between the couch and the armchair so that I could see everyone. Atom soon entered after Murphy and took a similar position on the floor, hunching forwards so that he didn't accidently knock over the poor excuse for a television balanced on the wooden unit behind him.

'It's about time we all got caught up to speed,' Bellamy began, making sure everyone was listening before he continued. 'We didn't just leave base for the hell of it, there's a more pressing issue than just collecting supplies.'

He filled Alicia and I in on their current situation. It seemed that a rival group of survivors had decided that their territory had been invaded, having claimed that Santa Fe was theirs by all rights. As a large group of thugs by the sounds of it, there wasn't any point in arguing the stupidity of that statement with them. They were terrorising any and every group they happened to run into.

'So why not just leave, find somewhere new to set up,' Alicia asked when there was a pause in the story.

'It's not quite that easy,' Octavia spoke up, a hint of anger already in her voice before she had even explained. 'They took one of ours.'

'We sent out a group on a supply run, just like any other day of the apocalypse. They got run off the road by those animals and before anyone could react they had grabbed Nathan.'

I could remember the last time I had seen Nathan, before I had left the group, he had been looking after some of the youngest members of the group with his boyfriend Bryan. That had been one of the better days, when the sound of laughter had not just been on the rare occasion.

Bellamy continued to tell us how it was almost certainly a hostage situation, a ploy to prevent any attack on their base and have leverage to make whatever demands they saw fit. They had already sent a couple of their thugs to claim food. They had more than enough of their own inside the well defended prison that they had claimed, but it seemed to be more for sport than anything else. Something to keep their days interesting.

'How are you planning to get him back? From what you say the prison is pretty much impenetrable' Alicia pointed out, clearly concerned to hear what was happening to these people.

'That's the thing, we have no idea,' Murphy cut in, leaning back on his hands. 'We've been circling the area for a few days, trying to find some way in, but there's nothing.'

I couldn't imagine how Bryan was dealing with this, it wasn't the news any of us wanted to hear.

'Right now we just need to get back to base with more supplies, we've been gone too long already,' Bellamy said, and I could see how much it angered him to be unable to help his friend. The immediate concern was the survival of those back at base, and we had exactly what they needed.

'What supplies?' Atom remarked, 'In case you hadn't noticed this place has been wiped clean.'

'That's where we come in,' I told him, 'Alicia and I have two suitcases full of food and water in the boot of our car.'

That news seemed to brighten everyone's mood, we weren't any use to Nathan if we all went hungry.

'Great, so lets collect the supplies and get the hell out of here,' Murphy insisted, more than ready to return back to the others. I didn't know what he had against this place, there were far worse places to stay without the convenience of beds and carpeted floor.

'Except the car broke down a few miles that way,' Alicia added, pointing helpfully over her shoulder as Murphy rolled his eyes with a sigh.

'Wonderful, aren't you two a great help,' he said sarcastically.

'Don't worry Murphy, it doesn't effect you in the slightest,' Bellamy said sharply, not in the mood for his sly comments. 'Elyza and I will go to collect the supplies whilst the rest of you return to base.'

Alicia's head jerked up instantly at that, her eyes searching out mine as her lips already formed the question.

'No you are not coming,' I said quickly, ready for the defiant glare that soon followed. 'Bellamy and I have one final thing to do whilst we're here, it's easier to travel unseen with less people.'

'If it's to do with Nathan you should tell us your plan,' Atom insisted, noticing the look that Bellamy sent my way. He had guessed exactly what idea had come to mind.

'It's just a last scout closer to the prison, we'll soon be back to tell you what we find,' I finally replied, not wanting to reveal just how close we intended to get to the base in question. If Alicia knew, then there was no way she would return without me.

'Well that sounds good to me,' Murphy stated, pushing against the small table to rise to his feet. 'I'll see you all tomorrow before we set off.'

He waved his hand half heartedly in favour of a good night and went to claim one of the beds. Atom was next to scramble to his feet, also intent on claiming a good bed for the night.

'I'll take the couch,' Bellamy offered, receiving a wide smile from his sister.

'Aw thanks bro, I guess I'll take the double bed then. Sleep well,' she teased, lightly punching his arm as she passed him on the way out.

That left Alicia and I with the twin room. I looked over at her and could already see the many arguments that she was lining up in response to the plan Bellamy and I had sorted for tomorrow. Maybe I should have taken the couch.

'Come on you two, if I'm sleeping on the couch then I might as well get to sleep at a reasonable time,' Bellamy insisted, and Alicia jumped up compliantly. It must have been close to midnight by now, and it had been an eventful day.

I murmured a good night as Alicia moved past me, grabbing the torch along the way, and tugged on my arm impatiently for me to follow. Bellamy grinned knowingly at the onslaught of questions I was about to be on the receiving end of, and I rolled my eyes in good humour as I let the girl drag me away from the living area and into the empty bedroom.

She pushed me ahead and turned to shut the door firmly behind her. When she did spin to face me, her mouth already opening to begin her speech, I was ready with a few words of my own.

'Before you start, no you cannot come with us, no there is not a chance we will change our minds, and yes I am just that good. Did I miss anything?'

Alicia looked far from impressed at the interruption, narrowing her eyes as I threw myself down on the closest bed, not surprised to feel the multitude of springs against my back.

'You don't really understand the concept of humility do you?'

I pretended to consider this for a moment, crossing my ankles and lacing my fingers together behind my head. The single pillow was hardly a comfort and I could only imagine the face of the manager as he read what would have been an in depth review on this less than average establishment.

'Nothing wrong with being confident,' I offered with a shrug, well, as good as I could manage in that position.

'Until it gets you killed.'

Alicia's reply was instantaneous, lacking the humour that I had repelling her worries with. I dropped any pretence of nonchalance and allowed myself to be serious for just a moment.

'Nothings going to happen to me,' I assured her, 'this is just a quick scout so that I can get an idea of how the prison is set up and then we'll be running the supplies straight back to you.'

'Bellamy has already been over there, he has an idea of the layout so why don't we all just get the supplies together?' Alicia asked, but she already knew what I was thinking. I said nothing and saw her come to the understanding that my mind was set.

'You want to help your friend, I get that,' she went on, 'I just didn't want to split up like this.'

Now that I had bypassed the offensive front that she had presented me with, I could see the uncertainty that dwelt in the depths of her gaze and in that moment I understood her concerns. She may never see her mom or friends again because she had been forced to separate from them, it made sense that she would fear the same thing happening here.

'I'll soon be back to get on your nerves, in the meantime I need you to keep those hotheads from doing anything stupid on the way back to base,' I insisted, mostly regarding Murphy and his lengthy history of rash decisions.

Alicia managed a small smile and nodded firmly.

'You'd better be.'

'Now get some rest, I don't want to wake up to one of your grouchy moods,' I teased, laughing when Alicia pulled the pillow from underneath me and dropped it unceremoniously on my face. The last thing I wanted was her to dwell on all the possible scenarios that could take place whilst Bellamy and I investigated the prison.

'You would know what grouchy was if you could talk to yourself early in the morning, unfortunately I get that pleasure every day,' she retorted, and I heard her footsteps moving over to the second bed as I chuckled into the pillow.

It seemed that the long back and forth had been avoided, and I appreciated Alicia's understanding of my decision. I didn't necessarily want to split up the group either, but it was safer this way regardless of our own feelings on the matter.

Alicia flicked back the covers, placing the torch onto the small wooden stand next to the bed, and I rearranged the pillow back under my head as she grimaced at the state of the mattress.

'Is it just my bed that's ready for the skip?'

I turned over onto my side and made a point of exhaling as if in great comfort. In truth neither bed was in great condition, but I had left Alicia with the one that might get a second consideration before being tossed. Mine was ready to be burnt to ashes for the sheer discomfort it provided.

'Looks like you pulled the short straw there, shame you won't be sleeping in luxury tonight,' I taunted her, blatantly lying as a spring made itself known by digging against my hip.

'Either way, its better than sleeping for another night in your tin-pot of a car,' Alicia retorted with a sly grin, knowing that an insult to my favourite vehicle was certain revenge. I gasped in mock horror as she thumbed off the torch, plunging us into darkness.

She really was getting better with the response time though, I thought with pride. She was learning fast.

I knew that regardless of what I said Alicia would worry for my safety, and even I couldn't fully convince myself that we wouldn't run into trouble. Best case scenario we would be there and back with ease, but it was the worst case scenarios that I was attempting to distract Alicia from. For now it had worked, and my mind worked over the strategy for tomorrows survey of the prison even as I drifted into a light sleep.

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