Clarke waddled into Raven's workshop and looked around the corner.
"Rave, you in here?"
"Yeah!" The voice sounded muffled, and Raven appeared around a corner, "What's up?"
"I need to reach the Ark."
"You're going to talk to your mom?" Raven asked. Last she had heard, Clarke was barely speaking with her, only mentioning what needed to be said.
"No. Still not speaking to her. I need to go over Lexa's terms with Jaha."
"Sounds good. Let me get you set up, and I'll be in the back if you need me."
"Thanks," Clarke said looking around.
Raven rummaged with her equipment and handed her a headset.
"Here. They're able to see you now. Courtesy of yours truly."
"I can't even begin to imagine what we would do without you, Raven. Thank you for everything, seriously. Are you sure you don't want the extra room in our cabin? You can bunk with the baby."
"Clarke, you don't have to thank me. We've all pulled our equal share of weight around here, and besides, I like it in here. It's not like I ever leave anyway."
"Well the offer is always there," Clarke said looking up at her friend. Raven gave her a soft smile before turning to grab something.
"Speaking of, how's my little mechanic?"
"Well he or she is just fine, but they're taking a toll on my back."
"I bet. You need to take it easy, Clarke," Raven said. Clarke huffed.
"You and Bellamy. I just need to get through the week, and then I'll go easy."
"If you say so. All this stress and work can't be good for the baby. You need to let your mom check you out next week too."
"Raven, I don't think I can face her on here or in person."
"Look, it took me a while to see this, but a friend of mine on the Ark reminded me. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes we don't get to find that reason until later down the road. Now, I know it's none of my business, and I'm not trying to justify Abby's actions by any means. But we're on the ground because of your dad. If he had kept quiet about it, you never would have been arrested, and you wouldn't be down here with us. Just like if Finn hadn't taken my place the day he was arrested, I would've been floated at eighteen."
"I'm trying to forgive her, but every time I try to talk to her on the radio, all I can remember is that she's the one who turned my dad in. My mind just goes blank."
"Well then tell her about the baby."
"She'll just be mad."
"You never know, Clarke."
"Hey," Bellamy said walking up behind Clarke. He placed his hand on her lower back and pressed his lips against her cheek. He could feel the smile form across her face.
Clarke let out a soft giggle as Bellamy's hand slid across her belly.
"Get a room you two," Raven groaned as she made her way to her chair.
"We do have a room. It's in a cabin shared with my sister and her- Lincoln," Bellamy mumbled Lincoln's name.
"You do realize you'll have to acknowledge that he's her boyfriend at some point," Clarke said. He looked away
"And some point will not be today," he answered sternly.
"I hope you know this child will one day be dating and sneaking out of camp just like your sister," Raven said taunting him.
"Like hell they will!" Bellamy exclaimed causing a laugh from both girls.
"You just wait," Raven paused, "Hell hath no fury like Bellamy Blake catching his child sneaking out of camp at night." She snickered from her seat.
Clarke laughed softly, and Bellamy shot her a look.
"It's not funny," he argued.
"Whatever you say," she said smiling. Bellamy shook his head and helped Clarke into her chair.
"So, are we testing the video?" he asked changing the topic of conversation.
"Yes, hopefully this camera, here, works, and the Ark will be able to see you as soon as they get on," Raven said standing up, "Here, Bellamy."
"It's fine. I've got to go check up on something."
"Bellamy," Clarke turned around and looked him in the eyes, "Please? You don't have to worry about being pardoned. We're with the coalition, not the Ark. Plus, I really don't want to face my mother alone. I think I'm going to tell her about the baby, about us."
"I'm here, Princess," he said kissing the top of her head before sitting down. He took the headset from Raven and put it on.
"We're live. I'll be in the back if you need me." Raven said stepping away from the screen. Clarke gripped Bellamy's hand nervously.
"Mom?" Clarke said. Although the screen was slightly fuzzy, she managed to noticed the tears in her mother's eyes.
"I'm so glad to be able to see you," Abby cried. Clarke forced a smile.
She was happy to see her mother after everything she had gone through, but she was still hurt about her father and about being sent down to the earth.
"We need to talk. Is the chancellor around?" Clarke asked. She had not called him Uncle Thelonius since before her father died and before she was arrested.
"He's on his way," Abby answered. "Clarke, honey, how are you?"
Clarke ignored her mother.
"Clarke?"
"Look, Mom, I know about Dad. Wells told me before he died."
"Clarke, sweetie."
"No, I need to say this. I don't understand how you could do that to him, to us, to me, and before you say anything, I'm not looking for an answer or an explanation," Clarke paused to compose her emotions and form her next words.
"Look, there's so much that can happen on the ground, and I've learned that the hard way. I spent so much time being mad at Wells that I ran out of time with him. You're my mom, and I don't want to run out of time with you. This isn't forgiveness, but I'm trying."
"Thank you, Clarke," Abby said with a small smile that Clarke returned.
"So, as a tiny step towards forgiveness, there's something I want to tell you. Just, please, try to be happy for me because I know this isn't exactly ideal for you. It gave me every reason to fight for my life in Mount Weather, and it kept me sane all that time they kept me locked away. This is something I want."
"Okay."
The blonde watched as her mother nervously nodded, and Clarke squeezed Bellamy's hand.
"Bellamy and I are having a baby," she blurted. Clarke was fairly certain her mother was the one frozen, not the screen. "Mom, please, say something."
"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled by the fact that my kid is pregnant."
Clarke looked up and away in an effort to hide or tears from Bellamy.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Griffin, she stopped being a kid the moment you put her on the drop ship to die."
"I suppose you're right, Bellamy. Clarke, honey, for the longest time I thought what mattered most was upholding the Ark's law and society's standards and pleasing the council. It started off as a way to keep you and your father safe, but I've realized that I somehow lost sight of it all. It cost me your father, and I don't want it to cost me you too. I've spent everyday worrying about you. All that matters to me now is that you're healthy, alive and happy, and if having a child makes you happy, then that's all that matters to me. You are happy, right?"
"I am," Clarke said grinning. She wiped a tear from her cheek.
"And Bellamy- he makes you happy?"
"Very much so," she answered looking over at him before resting her head on his shoulder.
'Well then, Bellamy, welcome to the family. I look forward to getting to know you."
"Likewise, Mrs. Griffin."
"Nonsense. Call me Abby. As I said, we're family now."
"I should get going. I've got several patients already showing early signs of oxygen deprivation, and I need to tend to them. Honey, what happened in that mountain? None of you have spoken about it, and if it's mentioned, your words are filled with pain."
Clarke drew in a sharp breath.
"It's not easy to talk about it. I do want to tell you, but the pain of reliving it is—"
"I understand. I'll see you soon?"
Clarke nodded before she and Bellamy watched as Abby looked over her shoulder at Jaha and stood.
"Mom, wait!"
"What is it?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie."
Their attention quickly turned to Jaha as he sat down in front of the camera and spoke.
"It's nice to see you again, Clarke."
She ignored his greeting
"Let's cut to the chase. You want to bring the Ark down to the ground, right?" She watched him nod. "You may do so on one condition."
"Miss Griffin, you are in no place to be giving conditions," Jaha responded, "Being on the ground and helping us land does not give you the authority."
"And being on the ground does not mean you'll have authority here either. You're very disliked among my people."
"Your people?"
"Yes, my people, and we are grounders. You have no hold, no authority. You have nothing to do with us except being the reason that we have been forced to fight so hard to survive. So you will meet our one demand if you want your people to live.
Things are different here than they are on the Ark. When you land, you'll no longer be chancellor. There will no longer be stations, and there will no longer be a guard. You will become members of Skaikru the moment you enter the atmosphere."
"I'm sorry, but what is 'Skaikru'?" Jaha asked.
"Skaikru is the Thirteenth Clan of the Commander's Coalition," Clarke said, "We are Skaikru."
"You mean you've joined these people Raven told us about?" he questioned. Clarke nodded. "You can't be serious; these people are savages! Why?"
"Why? You sent one hundred of us down here— that's not including Bellamy and Raven. We started with 102 people, and now, we're down to forty six. You will never understand the lengths we took to survive. We joined them because that was the only way for us to survive. It's because of the fifty six people that we lost—not because of illnesses, infections, and injuries. It's because we've been hunted ever since we landed. You will be too the moment you land if you refuse to join our clan. Heda will have her forces ready to attack."
"Okay," Jaha said. He was still shocked at what Clarke had told him. "We'll join your clan. Is that all?"
"Yes. Look, I don't mean to sound so harsh. You were the closest thing I had to an uncle. You were Wells' dad, and I sympathize your loss. But it doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive you for your part in my dad's death. I can only handle one at a time, and right now, I need to focus on things with my mom. I will, however, ask everyone here not to give you trouble, but they're not ready to forgive you for everything yet, either."
"I understand, Clarke. Thank you."
Clarke gave a short smile and nodded.
"That's all on my end. Hey, wait. What's today's date? We lost track after everything that's happened."
"October eleventh," Jaha said sadly. It would have been Wells' eighteenth birthday.
"October eleventh," Clarke repeated in a whisper. She gave Jaha a soft smile.
"We'll see you in a week," Jaha asked.
"Yes, but we'll be in touch before then."
The screen went dark, and Bellamy and Clarke sat together in silence.
"What's on October eleventh?"
"It's nothing."
"You know you can tell me, right?"
"I know. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet, but I promise I will when I'm ready."
Bellamy stood helping her from her chair and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest and squeezed him tightly, and he kissed her on the top of her head.
"I love you, Princess."
"I love you too."