Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: I'm amazed at the feedback this story has gotten. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed it. You guys are amazing. This brings us to chapter three. I don't want to spoil anything, although if you read the song lyrics you can probably figure out something big that happens at the end of this chapter. And while you're at it, listen to "Home II" by Dotan because it's such a beautiful song. And in my opinion, it makes a great soundtrack for the last quarter of this chapter. Enjoy!
Spring
Talia and Manon return to the beach a few days later. It turns out they were kept away by their duties as seconds and not out of any actual malice. Talia shows no sign that she realizes anything has changed. Manon, however, catches Clarke's eye and gives her a small but meaningful nod. He may not have completely forgiven her, but somehow he still understands. And that means more to Clarke than she can ever say.
The beach begins to warm again as winter draws to a close. Hints of spring start appearing here and there. The sea water begins to get warmer as well, although it's still frigid most days. The sun is out for longer and longer periods. Spots of green begin showing up in the forest, and it begins to get easier to find game when Clarke goes hunting. The world is being reborn. And part of Clarke has begun to dare to hope that maybe she'll be reborn with it.
Her fighting prowess has definitely changed. She can hit her target with a knife more than half of the time now. Her sword skills are picking up as well. She and Talia are evenly matched, which might be insulting if it weren't for the fact that Manon seems genuinely impressed with his sister's level of skill. He now deems Clarke capable of sparring with him as well, and while he still wins every time, Clarke definitely makes him work for it.
Time seems to slowly be healing her mind as well. She can actually stand to look at some of her darker drawings now without immediately drowning in a flood of emotion. She still creates new ones fairly often, but the subject of her art is steadily evolving. The images she draws now are a mixture of good as well as bad. Because for all its hardship, there have still been some good moments that came from living on the ground.
It takes her a while to notice that she's not just drawing at random. She's begun to draw everything from the pleasant to the painful. Instead of just drawing her guilt, she's now drawing truth. She's drawing what has happened since she came to the ground. And it's no longer just her story. It's the story of all of them. The story of the hundred.
It's a few days after this realization as she's sitting on the beach sketching out Monty proudly hefting a jug of moonshine that a piece of Camp Jaha finally finds her sanctuary.
"Clarke?" a familiar voice calls excitedly.
Clarke looks up from her sketchpad and her jaw nearly hits the sand. Talia is coming toward her, but it wasn't she who spoke. A step behind her is an older girl wearing typical Grounder clothing. But her bright smile is one Clarke would know anywhere.
"Octavia?" Clarke gasps.
Octavia laughs and begins to run down the beach. Clarke quickly stands to her feet, dropping the sketchpad to the sand. A second later Octavia is crashing into her. Then they're both hugging each other as if they'll never let go.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you," Octavia says warmly. She gives Clarke a tight squeeze before pulling away with a wide smile on her face. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too," Clarke says honestly. "How did you find me?"
"I had some help," Octavia says. She glances over her shoulder at Talia, who has stopped a few feet away.
"I know you did not wish to be found," Talia tells Clarke nervously. "But I knew her from your drawings, and she seemed kind."
"You did the right thing," Clarke assures her with a smile. "Thank you."
Talia smiles proudly.
"I will leave you to talk," she says. She turns around and heads back up the beach with something that looks suspiciously like a skip.
"She almost seems too happy to be a Grounder," Octavia says with a shake of her head.
"You should see her with a sword," Clarke says, chuckling. "She's deadly."
Octavia smiles and takes a look around the beach.
"So this is where you've been hiding out, huh?" she says approvingly. "It's nice."
"It really is," Clarke agrees. "So I get that Talia told you where I was. But how did you find her?"
"There's all kinds of stories going around the Woods Clan about Clarke of the Sky People," Octavia says. "You're a legend. The girl who destroyed the Mountain. Then about a week ago rumors starting popping up about a blonde girl living by the sea. Your mom wanted someone to come out here and take a look, so I volunteered. I figured if I found you, then if you didn't want to be found, I could pretend you weren't."
"You'd do that?" Clarke asks curiously. Octavia shrugs.
"Indra told Lincoln and I that she sent you out here," she admits. "Something about making peace with the dead. She said you might not be ready yet. And I get it. What you did at Mount Weather... It had to be done, Clarke. But I get if you can't live with that. I couldn't live with it for a while, and I'm not even the one who did it. So if you need space, I get it. But when you're done, you gotta know that you have a place to come back to."
"I can't yet," Clarke says honestly. She glances out at the sea and bites her lip briefly before returning her gaze to Octavia. "But maybe someday."
"I can live with that," Octavia says. Clarke gives her a grateful smile. Octavia smiles back and then turns to face the water. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to check out this sea thing. 'Cause that's the real reason I walked three days out here."
Clarke can't help chuckling at that. She really has missed Octavia.
"Come on," Octavia says, pulling off her jacket and smiling mischievously. "Last one in smells like Monty's moonshine."
"Oh, you're on," Clarke says as she yanks off her boots.
She ends up losing by a matter of seconds, but it hardly matters. They spend a long time in the water, laughing and picking up shells and splashing each other until they're both drenched. Once they're finally finished, they dry themselves off and get dressed. Then they sit down on the beach to talk.
Octavia tells Clarke all about Camp Jaha. Everyone is doing well, it seems. Bellamy has stepped up to become something of a leader. Abby and Kane both listen to his ideas, and he's even in charge of the guard. He misses Clarke a lot, and Octavia says his eyes still drift towards the gate like he's waiting for her to come home. But he's doing a solid job taking care of their people just like she asked him too.
Raven and Wick are officially dating now. They spend most of their time in Raven's work room rigging up new projects. Monty has started up the still again, and somehow he's managed to keep it hidden from both Kane and Abby. He and Harper are dating too. No real surprise there. Kane and Abby also seem to be developing something more than friendship, although no one has managed to catch them kissing yet. Though not for lack of trying on Raven's part. Abby misses her daughter, but Octavia seems confident that Clarke would be proud of what her mom has done for Camp Jaha.
Interestingly enough, Abby has allowed the remaining members of the hundred to set up their own community of sorts just outside of Camp Jaha. Apparently the fact that they survived so much by themselves has earned them the right to be treated as quasi adults. The community is mostly just a small tent city with a wall, but they more or less provide for themselves, although they all still hold jobs within the main camp and agree to follow its laws. With the exception of Monty's still, which they all seem to have unanimously agreed not to sell out. They appear to be recovering well. There's a lot of laughter now and even games, according to Octavia. She says Jasper is still fairly quiet and he makes a lot of trips to Mount Weather to pay his respects to Maya. But he and Monty are on tentative speaking terms now, and he seems to be slowly moving back toward the adventurous prankster he used to be.
Octavia and Lincoln are the official Ark liaisons with Tondc, which is now neutral territory and which the Arkers have helped to rebuild. The coalition is starting to crumble just as Ronan said. There have already been several smaller battles, and all-out war is expected any day now. But the legend of Clarke's power has caused the Grounders to leave Camp Jaha alone, and the fact that Tondc is the only village the Arkers will associate with seems to have offered it some level of protection as well. So when war does come, there's a good chance they won't have to get involved. And they have Clarke to thank for it. She's still not sure how she feels about that.
When Octavia finally runs out of things to say, Clarke starts telling her about life on the beach. It doesn't take long to summarize, since the only thing that has really happened other than her run-in with the bear (which definitely impresses Octavia) has been her time with Talia and Manon. Still, Octavia listens to it all with interest. Once Clarke has said all there is to say, she goes into the cave and gets her stack of sketchpads.
"What is all this?" Octavia asks, opening up the first sketchpad.
"It started out as penance, I guess," Clarke says with a shrug. She stretches her arms out on the sand behind her so she can lean back against them. "But now... Now it's everything. It's our story. Every part of it. The good and the bad."
"Clarke, this is amazing," Octavia says as she turns through the pages.
The two of them sit in silence as Octavia slowly flips through each sketchbook, quietly drinking in the emotion of each drawing. Some make her smile while others make her sigh heavily. Clarke just stares out at the waves and waits.
Finally Octavia closes the final sketchbook. She continues to sit there in silence for a moment, almost as if she doesn't want to break the peaceful moment.
"These are incredible," she says finally.
"They're not quite finished yet," Clarke tells her. "There's still a few more things I haven't drawn."
"And then what?" Octavia asks, looking over at her friend. "What are you gonna do once you finish?"
"I don't know," Clarke admits with a shrug. Octavia nods and looks back out at the sea.
"You should come back," she says firmly. She risks a glance at Clarke, almost as if she's unsure of whether she's pushing too far.
"I'll think about it," Clarke says finally. "I promise."
Octavia seems to know that's the best she'll get, because she nods and looks back out at the sea. But she still looks just the tiniest bit disappointed. Clarke reaches across the sand and puts her hand on top of Octavia's.
"It really is good to see you," she says honestly.
Octavia turns her hand over in the sand so she can hold Clarke's tightly in her own.
"You too," she says with a warm smile.
They fall silent again as the sun begins to set. Neither of them says a word as they watch the great fireball paint the sky and sea with vibrant strokes of color. They don't have to speak. They're here together, and for right now, that's more than enough.
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The beach continues to get warmer with every passing day. Clarke starts running barefoot again with her sleeves pushed up to her elbows. Her knife proficiency increases to roughly nine successful throws out of ten. She even manages to knock Manon on his back a few times during their sword sessions, which amuses Talia to no end. But as the sun gains strength and the woods explode with green, Clarke knows in the back of her mind that her time with the siblings is slowly coming to an end.
And then the day arrives when Talia and Manon show up at the beach with their father in tow. It only takes one look at Talia's sad eyes to know that this is going to be good-bye.
Talia reaches Clarke first, throwing her arms around Clarke's waist and pressing her face into Clarke's jacket. Clarke hugs Talia back tightly. Manon and his father hang back a few steps to give them a moment.
When Talia finally pulls away, her eyes are red and damp.
"I do not want to leave," she says.
"Hey," Clarke says, putting her hands on Talia's shoulders. She puts on the best smile she can muster. "I know this is hard, but the people of the Boat Clan are good people. You'll be safer there. And someday you're going to be a great warrior for them."
Talia forces a nod, but she's clearly close to tears. Clarke takes the pouch of chess stones out of her pocket and hands it to Talia.
"Here," she says as she closes Talia's hand around the bag. "Have Manon make you a board out of wood. Then you can teach the other seconds how to play."
"I will beat them all," Talia says. She's grinning a little now at the prospect.
"I'm sure you will," Clarke says with a smile.
"What about you?" Talia asks in a more serious tone. "Will I see you again?"
"I don't know," Clarke says. "I hope so."
"I do too," Talia says.
"Among my people, when we say good-bye, we have a special phrase," Clarke says. "We say, 'May we meet again.'"
"May we meet again," Talia says carefully, making sure she has each word right.
"Exactly," Clarke says. "May we meet again, Talia."
"May we meet again, Clarke," Talia says solemnly. She leans forward and wraps her arms tightly around Clarke's waist again. Clarke smiles and hugs her back. Finally Talia pulls away and goes to stand beside her father, who places a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Manon comes next. He walks over with the same serious expression as always.
"You know, we have another phrase among the Sky People," Clarke tells him with a grin. "Lighten up."
"What does that mean?" Manon asks in confusion.
"It means smile more," Clarke says. "Enjoy life. You never know how long you have."
"That sounds like a good phrase," Manon says with the barest hint of a smile.
He holds out his hand and opens it to reveal a piece of blue glass. It's covered in tiny pock marks that make it appear almost frosted.
"My mother would pick up glass like this from the beach," he says. "She said it shows that some things are only made more beautiful by trials. She would want you to have this."
"Are you sure?" Clarke asks softly. They both know his mother is dead because of her actions. But Manon nods in confirmation.
"She would have liked you," he says with a shrug. "And I have other pieces."
Clarke slowly reaches out her hand and very carefully takes the piece of glass. The gift may be small, but its meaning is overwhelming. Manon truly does forgive her for what happened in Tondc.
"Thank-you," she says sincerely.
Manon holds out his right arm in the Grounder fashion. Clarke does the same, and they clasp forearms like equals.
"May we meet again," he says.
"May we meet again," Clarke responds.
The farewell is a strange joining of cultures, but it seems appropriate.
"Take care of your sister," Clarke says as they release forearms. "And yourself."
"I will," Manon assures her. "And I will try to 'lighten up.'" There's a hint of a smile on his face as he says it. Clarke grins back. "You take care of yourself as well."
"I will," she promises.
Manon gives her a nod and then goes to stand beside Talia. Ronan approaches Clarke last. He glances over his shoulder at Manon and Talia, and then turns back to Clarke.
"Thank you for what you have done for my children," he says.
"They're the ones who helped me," Clarke says honestly.
"We have told no one that they visit you," Ronan says. "The rest of our village will stay away. You will have no visitors unless you wish it."
"Thank you," Clarke says. It means a lot that he respects her privacy.
Ronan holds out his arm in the same way Manon did, and Clarke takes it.
"Farewell, Clarke of the Sky People," he says. "I hope you find what you are looking for."
"You too," Clarke says. "Good luck."
Ronan gives her a nod. Then they release forearms and he turns toward his family. Together the three of them start making their way up the beach. Talia look over her shoulder a few times as they go. Clarke smiles bravely and waves at her, to which Talia smiles back. Then the family is disappearing into the trees, leaving Clarke alone on the beach.
She turns around to face the sea as she looks down at the piece of glass in her hand. Her finger runs reverently over the pocked surface. The damage of the sea has made it a thing of beauty. It's a good metaphor, she decides. She can't undo what she's gone through. But maybe there's some beauty hiding somewhere in the damage. Now she just has to find it.
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It feels strange having the beach all to herself with no visitors to look forward to. The days start blurring together now that there's nothing to distinguish them. Clarke still runs on the beach every morning. Some days she swims in the water that's steadily getting warmer. Summer is definitely on the way. She barely uses the cave now except for when it rains. Most nights she even drags her blanket outside and sleeps on the open sand.
The temperature change also means a return of several edible plants and nuts. The animals are coming out more too. One day when Clarke's out hunting, she catches sight of a mother deer and her fawn. After that she sticks more to fishing and trapping. She just doesn't have the heart to separate another child from its mother.
Aside from that incident, however, the guilt has gotten far easier to bear. The nightmares come only rarely now, and when they do, she no longer wakes up screaming and sobbing. It seems the dead have finally forgiven her. Now she just has to figure out how to forgive herself. She understands why she did what she did, and she's finally learning to accept it. But she still can't go back to Camp Jaha. Not yet. She's still not quite ready to face her people. The guilt may be fading here, but seeing those faces just might reawaken it beyond her ability to deal. So instead she stays at the beach, silently waiting for some sign that her penance is complete, that she's finally whole enough to go home.
She keeps drawing. She's sketched almost everything she can remember. The story her work tells is almost complete. Besides, she's about to run out of paper again. Part of Clarke wonders if maybe that's the sign she's been waiting for, but her gut says that she's still not quite healed enough to return. And so she waits.
She's been alone at the beach for about two weeks when Camp Jaha butts in again. Clarke comes back from a hunting trip with a pair of rabbits over her shoulder to see a surprisingly familiar Grounder warrior sitting quietly on the sand.
"Lincoln?" she calls in surprise.
The figure looks up and a smile crosses his face. He quickly stands to his feet. Clarke drops the rabbit and hurries forward the last few steps to wrap her arms around his neck. Lincoln hugs her back with a fond chuckle.
"What are you doing here?" Clarke asks as she pulls away. In answer, Lincoln bends down to pick up a rucksack, which he holds out to Clarke. She gives him a curious look as she opens the bag. Inside are two sketchpads.
"More paper," Lincoln says. "Octavia thought you might be running out."
"Thank you," Clarke says. She's touched by the gesture. "Where is Octavia?"
"She wanted to come, but she's busy with Indra," Lincoln tells her. "And if we were both gone this long, your mother would ask questions."
"Octavia didn't tell her?" Clarke asks. Lincoln shakes his head.
"She told you she wouldn't," he points out. "Indra guessed that Octavia had found you, but she won't tell anyone."
"How is everyone?" Clarke asks.
"They're good," Lincoln says. "They're ready for you to come home."
"Not yet," Clarke says. She glances down at the rucksack and then up at Lincoln. "But maybe soon."
Lincoln nods in acceptance. It means the world to Clarke that he doesn't press.
"I should go," he says. "It's a long journey back."
Part of Clarke wants to ask him to stay, but another part of her is glad he's respecting her self-imposed exile. She reaches up to give him another tight hug, which Lincoln returns.
"Tell Octavia I said hello," Clarke says.
"I will," Lincoln tells her. They separate, and he looks her straight in the eyes. "When you're ready, you know where to find us."
Clarke doesn't know what to say to that, so instead she just nods. Lincoln starts up the beach, and a minute later he's gone. Part of Clarke almost turns and heads after him. But she knows she's not ready. The dead may have stopped haunting her here, but now it's the living she can't face. They all know what she did. And some of them may understand it, but not all of them will. Clarke needs more time. She needs to be absolutely sure that she's ready.
She skins the rabbits and sets them cooking over a fire on the beach. Then she turns to drawing while she waits. There's only one page left in her old sketchpad. She uses it up, stopping in the middle to eat her late lunch before finishing the picture. Then she reaches into the rucksack Lincoln left her. One of the sketchpads is about twice as thick as the other. She pulls that one out first and flips it open, pencil in hand. What she sees surprises her.
The page isn't blank. There's a drawing on it. It's a picture of Clarke with a map looking off into the distance. The outline of the drop ship is visible behind her. It's that first day on the ground. Clarke stares down at the drawing in surprise. She recognizes the style. It's one of Lincoln's drawings. But he wasn't there that day. Someone must have told him about it.
She turns the page and sees another drawing of herself. This one is of her and Finn standing on a rock laughing. There's a vine in Finn's hand. Clarke recognizes it as the moment right after Jasper had swung across the river before the spear ended up in his chest. In spite of the events that came after, she feels a hint of a smile pulling at her mouth.
A quick flip of the pages shows that the rest of the sketchpad is filled with pictures as well. Curious, Clarke begins to slowly thumb through them one at a time. They're all various drawings of her. Sitting next to Charlotte after her nightmare. (She has to wonder who saw that.) Smiling brightly as she looks into what she can only assume is Raven's escape pod. Healing various cuts and bruises. Laughing at one of Monty's stupid jokes. Holding out her hand to Anya on the bridge. Balancing the chip on her nose while trying to play a drinking game she was admittedly horrible at. Standing beside Bellamy with each of them holding a bag of guns. Reuniting with the forty-eight after getting out of Mount Weather's quarantine. Pointing a gun off the page while wearing a hood. (The phrase "You are my people" is scrawled beneath the picture. It's the only drawing with words.) And on and on and on.
All together, the pictures seem to tell the story of Clarke. So many of them capture moments Lincoln never saw, meaning he had help from the remaining members of the hundred. But none of the pictures show the bloody angel of death Clarke expects Camp Jaha to see her as. Instead, they show a young woman who is strong and brave and caring and has a beautiful smile. By the time Clarke gets to the end of the sketchpad, she's openly crying. Is this really how they see her?
The last page shows a drawing of Clarke and Abby hugging one another. There's a loose piece of paper pressed between the drawing and the previous page. Clarke pulls it out and unfolds it. It's a short note written in her mother's familiar looping handwriting.
I love you so much, Clarke. Please come home. –Mom
It's too much. Clarke puts her head in her hands and weeps. She's not even sure why she's crying now. If it's sadness for the pieces of herself that she's lost or gratitude that the people she cares about love her in spite of what she's done. But either way, whatever it is she's been waiting for, this book is it.
Finally she runs out of tears. She lifts her head from her hands, wiping away the watery tracks covering her cheeks. Then she reaches into the pocket of her jacket and pulls out the piece of glass Manon gave her. The sight of it makes her smile despite her watery vision. She's finally found it. The beauty in the scratched glass. Turns out it was there all along.
She closes her hand around the glass and looks up at the calm sea spread out before her. For the first time since coming to the beach, she finally feels like she can see the end of this tunnel, like she can actually picture herself returning to Camp Jaha. Part of her had started to wonder if she would ever go back at all, but now she knows she will. Maybe not quite yet. There's still a few things she needs to draw before this healing process is finally finished. But she suddenly knows with absolutely certainty that she will be going home when this is over.
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The season of the sun is definitely on its way. The beach is steadily getting warmer. Clarke still runs in the mornings, but now she usually ends up in the water afterwards to cool herself down. She splits the rest of her time between hunting and drawing. She's almost finished now. The empty sketchbook from Lincoln is quickly filling up. Most of her drawings now are of her time at the beach. She sketches Talia laughing, Manon playing chess, the sun setting over the sea. And as she draws, she realizes that her shattered heart is finally putting itself back together. The scars are still there, as she's pretty sure they always will be. But the wounds are no longer open and bleeding. They're healing. And slowly but surely, so is Clarke.
Soon there are only two pages left in the sketchpad. As she sits on the beach one evening trying to decide what to fill them with, she idly flips up the second to last page. She's surprised to see writing on the final page of the sketchpad. It's in the middle of the page, which is why she didn't catch it the other times she's flipped through. The message is written in a tilted scrawl that Clarke recognizes from all her time spent planning the assault in front of the drawing board in Raven's workroom.
Alright, princess. You've sulked long enough. Now get your butt back here. -Raven
Underneath it is another line that looks as if it were added as an afterthought.
P.S. I will come find you and drag you back here if I have to.
Clarke chuckles as she reads the words. How like Raven to give her a kick in the butt. And truth be told, that's exactly what she needs. She's put this off long enough.
She flips back to the next to last page and begins to draw. By the time the sun gets too low to provide good light, Clarke has finished the last drawing. It's a picture of her hand holding up the piece of frosted glass so the light of the setting sun comes through it. The beach and sea are both visible in the background. Somehow that one image seems to perfectly capture her entire stay here. Satisfied with her work, Clarke closes the sketchpad and goes to get her blanket. She needs to get a good night's sleep. Because tomorrow she's going home.
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When the sun comes up, it takes Clarke all of five minutes to pack her gear. She wades out into the sea water one final time in her own silent good-bye to her sanctuary. Then she dries off her feet, puts on her shoes, picks up her two packs (one of supplies and one of filled sketchpads), and heads west.
She walks for the whole day, but her feet and her heart feel far lighter than the last time she made this trip. Back then she was doing everything in her power to stay away from the Arkers. But now she's headed straight for Camp Jaha. She's going home. And her mouth keeps twisting itself into an almost-smile as she thinks about it.
Just before sunset, she stops to make camp in the woods. She's been sitting beside her small campfire for a while when she hears a hint of movement in the darkness.
"I know you're there," she says without looking up.
There is a moment of utter silence. And then Indra steps into the firelight. Clarke isn't too surprised to see the chief. Actually, she's sort of been waiting for Indra to show up.
"Were you watching for me?" Clarke asks as Indra kneels beside her fire.
"Lincoln thought you might be returning soon," Indra says. "I told my scouts to keep their eyes open. Are you returning to your people?"
Ever a woman of few words.
"Yes," Clarke says honestly. "I'm going home."
"You were gone longer than I expected," Indra says drily.
"There were a lot of ghosts to make peace with," Clarke says.
"And now?" Indra asks.
"The ghosts are quiet," Clarke says with a hint of a smile. They're not gone yet. Not completely. But she has a feeling they won't be until she faces her people again.
"Good," Indra says. Clarke is surprised to see something that looks like respect flickering in Indra's eyes. If she didn't know any better, she might think Indra was happy to see her.
Indra gets to her feet then, clearly ending their conversation.
"Your people will be happy to see you," she says. The fact that she cares at all about Clarke's reunion with Camp Jaha shocks Clarke so much she almost doesn't manage to respond.
"Indra?" she calls as the chief reaches the edge of the campfire's light. Indra turns back, her eyebrow raised in question. "Thank you."
She's not really sure what she means it to be for. For not judging her that night all those months ago. For suggesting she go to the sea. For helping out Octavia and Lincoln in the meantime. For looking after Lexa as Clarke knows she surely has. For coming out here tonight to check on her. Maybe for all of it. But whatever it is, Indra seems to understand because she gives Clarke a solemn nod. And then she's gone, disappearing into the forest.
Clarke unrolls her blanket and lays down beside the fire. This is the last nigh she'll spend outside like this. Tomorrow she'll be sleeping on a bed with a roof over her head. Tomorrow she'll finally be home.
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It actually ends up being the day after tomorrow. She gets close enough that she could probably reach Camp Jaha before nightfall, but she decides she'd rather wait until morning. She wants to have plenty of time to be reunited with everyone. Plus, her heart has begun to pound so hard it might explode. One more night of mental preparation can't hurt.
She sets off at sunrise the next morning. It takes about an hour before Camp Jaha finally comes into view. Clarke hangs back within the tree line for a moment, silently watching the camp. People are already moving about the yard inside the fence as they begin their day. There's also movement in the tent village beside the larger camp. Clarke's too far away to recognize the faces, but just knowing they're her people warms her heart.
Even so, she hesitates briefly. Is she really ready to do this?
She decides she is.
Taking a deep breath, Clarke steps out of the cover of the trees. It's only a few steps to the main path. Then she's walking down it toward the gate of the camp. Her heart is slamming in her chest. It seems like an eternity since she walked away from this place. She's changed. And she can already see little changes in Camp Jaha even from here. But it still looks like home.
It takes a while before anyone inside the camp notices her. But suddenly there's a shout from inside the gates, and then people are everywhere. She's just close enough to hear someone shouting her name. The shouting gets even louder as familiar faces come spilling out of the small tent village beside the main camp. Soon over forty teenagers are gathered in front of the gate. They all stand there together, waiting for her to reach them. Clarke grins at the sight of them.
Monty is at the front of the pack, but he can't seem to make himself wait. He runs the last few steps and flings his arms around Clarke's neck. The rest of the kids come running after him. Clarke finds herself engulfed in a whirlwind of hugs. Everyone is smiling and laughing as they welcome her back one by one.
Jasper is the last one Clarke gets to. She pauses, and they both stare at each awkwardly.
"I'm glad you're not dead," Jasper says finally. It's not forgiveness, but it's not hostility either. And it's clear from his eyes that he means it. Clarke is more than willing to take that.
"You too," she says sincerely.
"Are you back to stay?" Harper asks, unable to contain herself any longer. The others press in closer as they strain to hear Clarke's answer.
"I'm back," she says.
A round of cheers goes up from the teenagers. Hands reach out to clap Clarke on the back, while others applaud loudly. It amazes Clarke that she's been away from them even longer than she was living with them, and yet they still view her as one of their own.
"Alright, all of you shove over," a snarky voice calls above the noise. The crowd parts with a chuckle as Raven makes her way through. She stops before Clarke with a smug grin. "About time you got back."
"Well, it was this or be dragged," Clarke says, returning the grin. Raven laughs and launches herself at Clarke in a fierce hug. Clarke hugs her back just as tightly.
"It's good to see you," Raven says sincerely.
"You too," Clarke tells her.
"Took you long enough," Octavia's voice says. Raven forces herself to pull away and step to the side as Octavia and Lincoln appear through the crowd. Clarke gives Octavia a warm hug that the other girl immediately returns.
"I wasn't sure you were ever gonna show up," Octavia says as they let go.
"I wasn't either for a while," Clarke admits. "But I had some encouragement." She gives Lincoln a meaningful look. "Thank you for the drawings."
"They all helped," Lincoln says, motioning his head at the crowd of teenagers gathered around them. "They told their stories. I just put them on paper."
"We missed you," Monty tells Clarke. "We wanted you to come home."
"Thank you," Clarke repeats. Everyone nods in acknowledgement, and several eyes are definitely far from dry. Clarke herself is even starting to tear up.
Then suddenly the crowd is parting again to reveal a stunned Abby Griffin standing a few feet away.
"Clarke?" she says softly.
"Mom," Clarke chokes.
Abby's hand flies to her mouth and her eyes fill with tears. It's too much for Clarke. She runs across the short distance into her mother's arms. Abby takes hold of her as if she'll never let go. And to be perfectly honest, Clarke really wouldn't mind that.
"Oh, baby," Abby says through her tears. She keeps alternating between cradling Clarke's head and kissing it as if trying to assure herself that Clarke is really there. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too," Clarke says hoarsely.
Abby pulls away and takes Clarke's face in her hands, her eyes scanning Clarke for any sign that she's not okay. She must be satisfied with what she sees, because she gives Clarke a watery smile. Clarke smiles back.
And then she sees Bellamy. He's standing a few steps back, quietly waiting his turn. He looks different. More grown-up. It could be the fact that he's in a guard uniform, but Clarke has a feeling it has more to do with his bearing. He holds himself like a leader now. Not one a group of kids picked haphazardly, but one who has willingly stepped up to the plate.
Abby turns to follow Clarke's gaze. When she sees Bellamy, she steps away from her daughter. Everyone else seems to pull back a step as well as Clarke and Bellamy slowly walk toward each other. They meet in the middle, and Clarke can feel the crowd around them holding its breath.
"Hey, princess," Bellamy says quietly.
"Hey," Clarke says. For a brief second she's afraid this is going to be awkward, but then a fond smile crosses Bellamy's face.
"I knew you'd be back," he says as if he's just won a bet.
"Well, that makes one of us," Clarke says with a light chuckle. Bellamy's gaze flickers to the crowd of teenagers and then back to Clarke.
"I took care of them just like you asked," he says. "Now that you're back, maybe we can take care of them together. It'll be just like old times."
It's like he's spoken the code word Clarke was waiting for. She reaches up and wraps her arms tightly around his neck. Bellamy responds with a hug of his own. He buries his face in her hair, and for a long moment they just stand there holding each other. The crowd gathered around them breaks out into warm smiles. Their two leaders are finally back together. All is now right with the world.
"I'm glad you're back," Bellamy says so quietly no one else can hear.
"Me too," Clarke says.
She tightens her arms briefly before finally forcing herself to pull away. Bellamy smiles down at her, and suddenly it's like she never left.
"How about we go have that drink now?" he says. Clarke grins.
"I'd like that," she says honestly.
Bellamy holds out his hand, and she lets him take one of her rucksacks. Then together they begin walking the rest of the way up the road toward the now-open gate of Camp Jaha. Abby and the teenagers are right behind them. Their princess has finally come home. And her people are welcoming her back with open arms.
If you liked this chapter, or even if you didn't, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. It would make me really happy. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the previous two chapters. So Clarke's home now, but that doesn't mean her journey is ended. There are still a few things she needs to deal with. And it's entirely possible that being back in Camp Jaha could cause a slight resurgence in her PTSD. If you want to know what happens next, you'll have to keep an eye out for the last chapter. I'll probably post it sometime Tuesday. If you want something to read in the meantime, I've written seven other stories for this fandom that you're free to check out. Thanks for reading!