a/n Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, and happy reading!

It takes Bellamy a good few weeks, but eventually he stops worrying about every person he loves, every second of every day. Clarke's pregnancy is progressing smoothly, and since her anger over the situation with Madi has abated they have, somehow, only grown closer than ever. Madi finds her feet as the new Commander readily enough, and he only has to remind her about four times before she starts to understand that, really, she doesn't have to do everything herself. She makes it a priority, now, to spend the morning in lessons with her friends before attending council meetings in the afternoons. And he makes it a priority to insist that evenings are for family time, because he's pretty sure that both of the excessively hard-working women in his life need someone to remind them to take some time out.

Octavia is doing better, too. In a rather unexpected development she's started helping out with a bit of farming, and is much more relaxed now that she has put her past as a tyrant behind her. He resents this somewhat because as a result his own daughter has been deprived of much of her childhood, but he's making his peace with it little by little, day by day.

So it is that, this morning, while Madi is training with her friends and Clarke is catching up with Spacekru, he goes to see Octavia as she tends to a plot of cabbages. There is something almost comedic, he thinks, about seeing a former warrior tilling dirt instead of gutting enemies, but he's too tired of trouble to quite let loose a laugh.

"Big brother." She greets him with a warm smile. "How are you doing?"

That question catches him by surprise. He's been so busy worrying about everyone else, since Madi's ascension – or, rather, since her ascending was first suggested – that he hasn't really stopped to take stock of his own situation.

"I'm OK. Miller's on duty for today, so it's good to have a break."

"And you decided to spend your day off on chores?"

He frowns, confused. "What do you mean, chores?"

"I know you love me, brother, but you have to admit that you're here out of duty. This isn't where you'd choose to be this morning." That strikes him as a bit of an odd topic of conversation, really. Duty has trumped choice for most of his life, with the exception of those five precious years he spent here alone with Clarke.

He misses that time. He misses it so much it hurts. And having a new baby on the way is great, of course, but he can't help but resent the fact that this child will be born amongst people and therefore the potential for conflict, rather than into the blissful peace they enjoyed with Gus.

"Bellamy?" His sister prompts gently, and he wonders what he missed. "Where would you rather be?"

"Nowhere." He tells her, and it is almost the truth. "You're right, at least partly. But doing my duty is part of who I am, and I wouldn't be me if I sat at home and read a book. And I'll get to do that with Clarke and the kids tonight anyway."

"Make sure you do." Octavia's voice is surprisingly firm. "I appreciate the concern, Bell, really I do, and it's great to see you. But I want you to get to live your own life." She's tearing up, now, as she continues. "That's all I've ever wanted for you, all my life, because you had to give up so much for me as a kid. And I know you found that with Clarke while we were all in the bunker, and I just want you to get that back."

"That's what I want for you, too." He mutters, holding his emotions carefully behind a clenched jaw. "But I really do like to see you, as well. Those years with Clarke were great but – I missed you."

She nods a couple of times, fiercely. "Can we maybe give up on these duty visits and try living our lives, instead, then? I'd like to get to know you as – as a friend, rather than just as a big brother. I want to laugh at your toddler falling over his feet, and watch your daughter grow into the incredible young woman she's obviously going to be. I don't want to sit here making awkward conversation over damn cabbages."

He stares at her, slightly taken aback, for a long moment, and then he laughs out loud. "Three days from now is family Lion King afternoon. You should be there. I promise Gus will fall over and there'll be no cabbages."

He turns away, then, and goes home in search of a good book.

…...

Clarke likes eating lunch with her Spacekru friends. This fact comes as a surprise, somehow, looking back on the mixed feelings with which she greeted their return to Earth. Sure, she loves them, and she was beyond glad to see them land safely, but she distinctly remembers feeling rather flustered and frustrated by the sudden appearance of people in their quiet lives. But gradually, over the last few months, she has found a balance. She still enjoys that same quiet life in the evenings with Bellamy and the children, and she makes the most of the cheerful company when Raven and Echo invite her over to spend an hour or two.

These lunches have only become more cheerful, of course, since the confirmation of Harper's pregnancy, and the upcoming addition to Clarke and Bellamy's family, and the increasingly relaxed and domestic atmosphere between Echo and Raven. With a wry smile, Clarke wonders whether maybe the two of them might even admit to being in love, one day. Vastly different though the personalities involved may be, the way they are so obviously an item yet so ostensibly single reminds Clarke of the situation between herself and Bellamy, back before Praimfaiya.

She is the first to arrive, after the hosts themselves, and she spends a pleasant three minutes trying not to laugh at how blatantly she is third-wheeling as the two of them pass dishes across the kitchen wordlessly and steal silly smiles at each other when they think she is not looking.

Harper is on time, because she is Harper, and Clarke asks after the baby while they wait for Emori.

Emori is not on time. Ten minutes later, they are still waiting. And then ten minutes grows into fifteen, and fifteen stretches out to twenty, and still there is no sign of the last of their company.

"We should start." Raven says with a shrug.

"We shouldn't." Harper argues back. "Do you think she's OK? I could go look for her."

"She's Emori." Echo snorts. "She's definitely OK. That woman is always OK, she can survive anything."

Clarke isn't so sure about that, is on the point of agreeing with Harper, when at last Emori bursts through the door.

"Sorry. Something came up." She pants, looking rather more happy than stressed despite her tardy arrival.

Raven fixes her with a stare, but says nothing, and Echo gestures to them to start helping themselves to food. So it is that Clarke heaps her plate high – she is eating for two, after all – and tucks in. It's not quite cheese and inexplicable carrot pasta, but she has to admit that it's pretty great all the same.

"Did everyone have a good morning?" She asks.

"I shot half a flock of geese, that was pretty satisfying." Echo tries to give a modest shrug, but the grin on her face rather ruins the effect.

"I taught your daughter how to shoot." Harper offers. "And when I say I taught your daughter how to shoot, I mean your daughter taught me how to shoot, and the rest of her class while she was at it." Clarke laughs at that, rather imagining that Harper has her work cut out with Madi.

"John has this theory that we should get married." Emori announces, quite without warning, destroying rather thoroughly Clarke's expectations of the direction their conversation might take.

"He does?" Raven asks, looking utterly confused.

"He does." Emori confirms, as if it was not a confusing statement at all.

"Why?" Raven seems completely unable to fathom this.

"Because he loves me." Emori gives a shrug. "And because everyone's getting pregnant and he wants to have kids and stuff. He wants to make some grand gesture because he's feeling a bit left behind."

"How romantic." Echo comments, cynical as ever.

"Do people get married any more?" Clarke asks. Obviously she's only asking because her friend has exciting news, not because the idea has ever crossed her mind for herself and Bellamy. No, they're in love, and they have a family, and she has absolutely never found herself wondering what it might be like to get married, one day.

"John reckons we could start a trend." Emori tells them. "He said he might ask Kane to do it – he remembered that Kane's mum led a load of religious stuff on the Ark."

"That sounds like a great idea. You could bring it back into fashion." To be clear, Clarke's enthusiasm for the idea is entirely on Emori's behalf. She's a level-headed and rational woman, not some romantic about to swoon over the idea about a few silly words said in public.

Raven scoffs, loudly. "Great. I look forward to sitting back and watching all of you get married."

Clarke is pretty sure that Raven herself is the only person round the table who misses the longing look Echo shoots at her then.

…...

Raven is happier today than she can remember being in years. In fact, given the whole crappy-childhood-thing, she thinks she might be the happiest she's ever been. Sure, she's not exactly looking forward to sitting around and watching six of her favourite people marry each other – because she's pretty sure that's what will happen the moment getting married becomes a thing that people do again – but she thinks that she might at least be feeling confident enough in her relationship with Echo, these days, to dance with her at the wedding.

So, of course, today is the day that yet another thing goes wrong.

They are still sitting at the lunch table, laughing over baked apples, when Miller bursts in.

"There's a ship." He announces.

"A ship?" Clarke leaps to her feet.

"A space ship." He clarifies, as if there is any chance of an old-fashioned sea ship in the middle of this forest. "Says prisoner transport on it. Heda called a council meeting, she's fetching as many of the other councillors as she can find and bringing them here."

"I'll get out of your way." Echo murmurs, drawing herself gracefully to her feet.

"Yeah, me too." Harper echoes, even as Emori stands as well.

"No." Clarke stops them with a raised hand. "You should stay. I know you're not on the council but – we might need your advice. This sounds serious."

Echo sits back down, and as she does so, Raven feels a strong sense of foreboding steal over her. This is beginning to sound like the kind of situation where a spy might find herself needed.

Within moments, Bellamy is ushering Madi through the door, Gus perched on his shoulders, Kane and Cooper on their heels. Monty is out foraging, Harper explains apologetically, and Clarke reminds them that Indra is leading a hunting party, and so it is that Madi declares the meeting begun.

"We need to act fast." The twelve-year-old declares, chillingly calm. "We need to know what we're dealing with. A prisoner transport ship, you said, Miller?"

"Yeah. Branded Eligius."

"They're a corporation that was big on Earth before the bombs." Raven feels this information might be useful. "Tech, mining, petrochemical industries – you name it, they did it."

"Could they be dangerous?" Clarke asks, ever to the point.

"The unknown is always dangerous." Madi tells her mother, eyes narrowed. "The commanders want me to send out a team to learn what's going on and report back."

Raven shudders, that fear growing ever stronger.

"That sounds sensible." Clarke agrees, and Bellamy and Cooper nod approvingly.

"Well, then." Madi looks up, fixes Echo with a pointed look. "No prizes for guessing who's leading that team."

Raven reaches out to clasp Echo's hand, but is briskly shaken off again. Apparently Azgeda spies do not indulge in small gestures of affection in the face of a mission.

"Of course, Heda." Echo nods, that grounder upbringing plain in her obedience now. "Whatever you require. Who's coming with me?"

"Whoever you choose. If there's anyone here qualified to pick a team of spies and lead them out into the unknown, it's you."

"OK. Let's get going." Echo is on her feet, already assembling her gear. "Bellamy, you know the terrain. You'll join me?"

He nods, squeezing Clarke's shoulder and placing Gus into her lap as he gets to his feet.

"Great." Echo continues. "We'll take Tarik and Karina, too. Let's go."

She is half way to the door before Raven gathers her thoughts, and that's saying something. Thinking has always been what she does best, she likes to think. But on this occasion, she does not manage to convince herself to say goodbye until it is almost too late. She jumps to her feet, follows Echo as quickly as her bad leg will permit, and pulls her into a firm hug.

"Be safe." She whispers, lips almost brushing Echo's neck. "You'd better come home in one piece."

"I will." Echo's hand cradles Raven's head to her chest, fingers tangling in her hair. "I'll be home soon, I promise."

With that, she is gone, striding to the door, turning on the threshold to hurry Bellamy along as he says a touching goodbye to Clarke and the children.

And now, Raven realises with a long sigh, the waiting must begin.

a/n Thanks for reading!