*Shout out to my Hungarian and Bulgarian readers! I've visited Budapest, and I've even ventured to Bratislava to visit a friend this Christmas, but I've never been down to Bulgaria, I hope to visit some day. Thanks so much for reading and please favourite/follow/review – this one's a long one, but I think the next chapter is when things get very interesting!*

Back on level five, Jasper organised the rest of his friends in the same defensive position they had been in last time, arms locked together, but this time he had Bellamy's gun in the waist of his trousers. The doors opened and the guards stormed in with Dr Singh once again. When she reached them, her eyes sweeping over the rows of teenagers, she pointed to Monty.

'This one.'

Chaos broke out as his friends rushed to protect him, but he was pulled forcefully from their arms by the guards.

'Stop.' Yelled Jasper, yanking the gun out and pointing it at Dr Singh. Her eyes widened but before she could do anything one of the guards holding Monty lunged towards Jasper. He turned and pulled the trigger instinctively. A shot rang out around the room as the guard fell against the nearest bunk bed, and everybody else froze.

'Take this one instead.' Dr Singh said, her eyes still wide with shock, and the guards swarmed Jasper, dragging him out of the room as he fought. 'And search the rest.' She yelled to the remaining guards, walking after Jasper, the click of her heels echoing as she left the room.

Jasper's mind raced as he was dragged to an elevator. Dr Singh swiped her security card, but before the elevator could reach their level, both the doctor, and all five of the guards began to gasp and moan. Jasper stared around wildly and saw that their skin was turning red and beginning to blister.

'There's been a containment breach.' Dr Singh gasped into her radio, sinking to the floor along with the guards, leaving Jasper standing, free. His brain clicked and he knew who had done this. Bellamy.

Racing back to the dorm he had broken the rest of their friends out, and together they ran back through the corridors of level five to the elevator, finding the guards lying on the floor, struggling to breathe.

'Let's go!' Yelled Japer, 'This is our chance, everybody move. Take the level, Monty get the camera's.' The elevator dinged, alerting Jasper to Dr Singh crawling inside. 'Get their guns!'

Before the doors could close, Jasper thrust the metal pole from one of the beds into the doors, causing them to slide back open. Looking down at the blistered face of Dr Singh he could only think of the friends he had lost to the woman.

'No,' she moaned, 'you can't.'

'I hope you know you're incredibly special to us.' Jasper spat, echoing the same thing Dr Singh had told them, the first time she had taken one of them for the bone marrow transplant. He barely even flinched as she cried out in pain, her face blistering until it was barely recognisable.

When they were sure she was dead, they moved to the mess hall, barricading themselves in using whatever furniture they could, and arming themselves with what weapons they could find.

Smashing the safety glass, Japer pulled the axe free from its resting place on the wall and turned to see what his friends had accomplished.

'Look out.' A girl shouted from his right, and he turned to see her smashing the security camera in the mess hall.

'Good Fox, let's go get those hallway camera's.'

'Nope,' Monty swept past him, 'leave the hallway cameras, we'll need eyes out there.'

'You can do that?' Asked Jasper, impressed.

'Have you met me?' Replied Monty and the two boys grinned at each other.

'Where are we on the doors?' Japer asked him, walking across the room.

'The elevators are all disabled and I shorted the other stairwell locks.' The two boys looked at each other solemnly now, both wondering how long they could hold off the mountain men.

Their answer came about an hour later. A team of mountain men broke down the doors, they fought violently, desperately, and they retreated. Taking Fox with them.

'Jasper, help me!' Her screams echoed down the corridor and Miller had to hold Jasper back as he struggled to go after her.

'I promised her,' he cried, 'I promised she'd be ok.'

Silence fell over the room as the mourned the loss of another of their friends.

Fox kicked and screamed as two guards carried her down the corridor after corridor until they reached a small room, lined with cages, with a medical bed on one end, and a chair on the other.

'I'll prep the bed.' Said one of the soldiers carelessly, letting go of Fox's arm. Taking the opportunity she pushed the other into one of the rows of cages, wincing at the crack his skull make against the metal. She fled back to the door but was stopped short when another guard appeared in the doorway gun raised.

'Thanks.' Said the first guard breathlessly, but before he could step towards Fox the guard in the doorway fired two shots, killing both guards instantly.

Fox shook in fear as the remaining guard stepped up to the bodies, checking that they were dead before he took of the goggles and helmet obscuring most of his face revealing…Bellamy.

Fox threw herself into his arms, sobbing as his strong arms came up to hug her back gently. 'Are you ok?' He asked gruffly as Maya stepped into the room.

'Come on, we have to get her someplace safe.' She said, and Bellamy nodded.

The remainder of the day Maya and Bellamy transported the rest of the teenagers into the homes of people willing to help hide them from the guards. Maya told them of a resistance movement that her mother had been part of that didn't support the use of outsider blood. The resistance had gotten her mother killed.

When Jasper saw Bellamy again he threw himself at his friend, pulling him into a tight hug, just he had done when Murphy had tried to kill him, and Bellamy had saved him, all those weeks ago.

'Hey listen to me,' Bellamy said carefully, 'Clarke is coming with an army of grounders, we have to keep all of you safe until then.' Just like always, his heart swelled at her name.

'Don't tell me Finn finally got his peace talks?' Joked Jasper, and Bellamy felt pain lance through his heart instead.

'Something like that.' He said sadly. 'Come on, we've got a lot of work to do.'

Together, they followed Maya to meet her father, who in turn led Jasper and Maya to the final safe house, assuring them that the rest of their friends were safe, in other safe houses throughout the mountain. It wasn't much, but it was all they had, the just had to trust that these people wanted what was right.

Once the last of his friends was safe, Bellamy turned and focused on staying out of sight of the remaining few cameras. Now he needed to concentrate on taking out the acid fog, before Clarke could get here with her army. Time was running out, but the mountain men still didn't know he was there, he had to keep it that way.

Clarke returned to Camp Jaha that night but she didn't unpack. She would return to Tondc tomorrow, alone, no longer happy to risk the lives of her people under Lexa's decision making. For now though, she needed to know if Bellamy was alright.

She raced to the mechanical station, startling Raven as she burst through the door.

'Slow down,' she said teasingly, 'he's fine. Him and Maya have hidden our friends inside the mountain, they're staying with people who don't support Cage.' Clarke's eyesbrows rose. 'I know, it seems risky, but Bellamy trusts these people, he said they truly want to help. He's already checked in for today, he's gone to find Maya and get some rest, you can talk to him first thing tomorrow.'

Clarke nodded, 'thank you Raven.'

'No problem, now go, you need rest too, god knows I do.'

Clarke smiled before leaving the room, knowing Raven was right.

The next morning Clarke was there a few moment after Raven arrived.

'can I talk to him?'

'Go ahead, he can't always reply, but be my guest.' Raven chuckled.

Clarke walked to the radio and took a deep breath before picking up the mic. 'Bellamy?' She asked cautiously.

'Clarke.' He breathed immediately. 'You're alive.' His shoulders sagged in relief and she could hear the smile in his voice.

'I'm alive, I found the man, Whitman, and Octavia and I stopped the missile yesterday.'

'Octavia, is she…?'

'She's fine, she found Lincoln. They're back at camp now.' She paused, letting the news sink in for Bellamy, and struggling to find her next words. 'Bellamy…Lincoln told me what happened, in the tunnels. He told me what they did to you.' Bellamy's heart clenched and his throat tightened. 'I'm so sorry.' Clarke sobbed, and Bellamy felt tears prick his own eyes.

'Clarke, it's ok.' Bellamy's voice was tender. 'You got me through it.'

Clarke's hand shook around the mic, 'me?' She whispered.

'The whole time, I thought of you.' Bellamy said gently, and Clarke's heart ached. 'I'm glad you're ok.'

'Me too.' She said, holding back her tears now.

'Thank you, for Octavia.' He added and Clarke couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

'I couldn't leave her, I couldn't.'

'I know. So what next?'

'I go back to Tondc tomorrow, alone, and Lexa and I will begin to move the grounder army into position. We just need the acid fog disabled.'

'I'll get it done.' Bellamy said determinedly.

'I know you will, and Bellamy,' Clarke said softly, determined to soothe him, 'our friends are safe because of you.'

'Not quite, but I bought them some time.'

'That's all we need.' She said reassuringly, and then there was silence for a while as they both processed the events of the day, and what was still to come, revelling in the fact that the other was still alive, and feeling at least one of their worries disappear, lightening their burden just that little bit.

Raven cleared her throat, 'guys, sorry to break it up, but I'm gonna need Bellamy back, he has to get to the mechanical and engineering level by tonight.'

'You heard the woman.' Joked Bellamy and Clarke smiled.

'He's all yours.' She replied, laughing slightly.

Clarke left to return to Tondc, leaving Raven to talk Bellamy through where he needed to go.

A few hours later and he was standing just outside the door onto the level he needed to be at, but his key card wasn't letting him in, looking around at the large space he was in, his eyes scanned for another door.

'Bellamy come in' Raven said impatiently in his ear again.

'Yeah I'm a little busy here, Raven.' She frowned as she heard the stress in his voice.

'Did you find the source of the acid fog yet?'

'I'm making my way there now, it's taking longer than I thought.'

'I don't know enough to crack it on this end, you've got to give me something.'

'I'm working on it.' He replied gruffly, trying another door. 'Something's wrong.'

'What?' Raven said worriedly.

'My key card isn't working.' He admitted, sounding frustrated.

'That's not good.'

'I need to find another way in, I'll call you back.' Raven's brow furrowed deeper as the connection cut off.

Before he could locate another entrance, a door to Bellamy's right opened and two guards stepped through, guns trained on him. 'Crap' he thought, before throwing himself up a set of stairs on his left. Doing exactly as he'd hoped, the guards ran after him, but didn't fire. They wanted him alive.

'In pursuit of the target,' Bellamy heard one of the guards shout into a radio, 'it's not Lovejoy, repeat, it's not Lovejoy.'

Bellamy ran faster, taking the stairs three at a time and using the railing to pull his weight up faster. The stairs wound their way up for several levels, connecting to railing that wrapped around the large area that almost resembled a warehouse of sorts. He took a sharp right and ran down a corridor, past a sign that told him he was on level six. He reached another set of stairs and this time he threw himself back down them, jumping down each flight of steps to save time, ignoring the sharp pain on the soles of his feet each time. He quickly reached the base level, where he had originally wanted to be, but one of the guards was right behind him. Ducking around a corner Bellamy waited for him to pass before tackling to the ground and knocking him unconscious. Panting, he searched the guard, taking his key card, a small flamethrower and his gun, and turned to the nearest door. He slipped through it quickly and let it fall closed behind him whilst he caught his breath.

In front of him were more huge metal cylinders, and a gigantic metal container connected to a huge pipe that ran along the top. They were also marked with labels, only these ones read 'toxic', 'hazardous', 'flammable', and 'chemical storage' and the hot air was thick with chemicals. There was one machine that Bellamy could see, positioned in the middle of the room, facing the row of cylinders.

Scanning the room, Bellamy broke an axe out of a glass case that sat in the wall and used it to break the security key scanner and jam the door shut, then he returned his attention to the rest of the room.

'Raven, come in.' Bellamy's voice filled the mechanical room and drew the attention of both Raven, and Wick, and engineer who she had called to help. Cocky and irritating, Raven couldn't deny she found him charming. 'I made it in. I hope you have a plan.' Bellamy said in that almost sarcastic voice her used, eyeing the cylinders and the machine with equal bewilderment.

'We're still working on it.' Admitted Raven, causing Bellamy to frown. 'Give us something to go on.' She said, unconsciously moving closer to Wick, their arms brushing together. 'What do you see?'

Bellamy shook his head, staring around the room, 'a huge steel vat, looks like a submarine,' he told her, conjuring the image up from a book he read once. 'Some other tanks with chemical formulas and warning labels.' He walked around the room. 'A bunch of pipes, going into the wall. A monitor.' He finished, coming to stand by it.

'Ooh, go to the monitor.' Wick grabbed Raven's hand around the mic, speaking into it excitedly.

'Hello to you too.' Said Bellamy, his tone definitely sarcastic now, and Raven's mouth quirked into a half smile.

'Don't mind Wick,' she joked, 'he's trying to help.'

'Hey.' He protested, but grinned none the less, before turning serious. 'Bellamy, how's my boy Monty doing?'

Bellamy guessed that they were from the same station. 'Fine, yeah. But I don't know for how long…'

'Great, pleasantries over, listen, if that monitor is a control panel then we can use it to kill this thing. Look for a pH scale.'

Bellamy stared at the monitor, numbers and words jumping out at him but he couldn't make any sense of them. 'Right well there's a scale, but the rest uh…S3, V2, O5, H2, S2, O7…' Bellamy trailed off, the random letters and numbers meaning nothing to him. 'Look, can I just blow this thing?'

Raven rolled her eyes, thinking how very Bellamy that was, before responding. 'No.'

Wick grabbed her hand again, 'no they'll know their defences are down, they'll send a tech to fix it, reroute it, or pull out a weapon we don't even know about.'

'Plus,' said Raven, pulling the mic back, 'you'd probably melt your face off.'

Bellamy winced, sighing.

'Look, you know I like a good explosion,' Raven quipped, 'but we've gotta think our way through this one. We can do this.' She looked at Wick to find he was already looking at her, grinning. He nodded and she took a deep breath in, sitting down at a work station as Wick sat next to her, taking the radio. 'Here we go.'

Bellamy raised his eyebrows but looked over the machine again. 'Ok uh…level indicator?'

'Nope.' Wick's voice sounded in his ear.

'Do you see an actuator anywhere?' Raven asked.

Bellamy looked around, throwing an arm out even though they couldn't see. 'I have no idea what that is.' He said drily.

Raven dropped her head into her hands as Wick took the mic. 'Come on what else?'

'Internal pressure sensor?' Bellamy read.

'Nope.' Wick said again.'

'Set point and alarm?'

'Let's avoid that one.' Said Wick wryly and one side of Bellamy's mouth lifted.

'Maintenance and cleaning?'

Wick raised the mic again but Raven stopped him. 'Wait,' she said softly, 'corrosion.' He looked at her, frowning slightly, so she elaborated. 'The protective oxide film would have to be restored in tanks this old. They need to be cleaned.'

'And neutralised.' Finished Wick. 'Bellamy, go to that subdirectory, see if there's anything that says 'passivation'.'

Bellamy pressed the screen and a new set of headings came up, 'ok I got it.' He clicked on the one that read passivation, taking him to another screen, one with a gage on it, with a scale from 0 to 14, and a needle pointing to 0. 'It says 'Aqueous Sodium Hydroxide Bath.'

'That's a base, that'll neutralise the acid, select that.' Wick's voice was excited.

Shrugging, Bellamy did, and one of the machines started to hum. 'It's doing something.'

Raven and Wick grinned at each other, 'you should be able to hear the pumps' she said.

'I can hear them.' Confirmed Bellamy. 'The needle's moving on the monitor, the pH is rising.'

'It's working.' Said Wick, continuing to grin at Raven.

After a while the machine beeped and the needle came to stop at 7. 'Passivation successful.' Bellamy read off the screen, smiling in relief.

'Yes!' Raven and Wick jumped up, hugging each other, before either of them knew why, they were kissing and Wick was lifting her up on the table, pulling her shirt off, kissing down her neck, kicking their shoes off.

Bellamy turned from the machine, grabbing the flamethrower off the floor when he noticed another gage on the side of one of the tanks. It read pH on the top but the needle pointed to 0, not 7. Racing back to the monitor he saw that it still read 7, meaning that the monitor he was using no longer connected to the cylinders.

'Raven, something's wrong.' But he couldn't hear anything, not even the static he usually heard in the background on the radio. His communications were cut. Mount Weather knew what he was trying to do.

Cursing Bellamy searched around frantically for something, anything he could use, but too soon, he heard the door above him being forced open, and he knew the axe wouldn't hold for long.

He clenched his fist around the flamethrower he still held in his hand. Raven had said he couldn't blow the place because it would blow his cover. Well his cover was already well and truly blown. Moving as fast as he could he positioned the flamethrower so that the flame hit the side of a cylinder marked 'flammable' then he launched himself across the room as the door burst open and guards rushed in.

'On my lead,' he heard one of the guards say as he ducked behind another cylinder, eyeing up the nearest grate to him. It looked like he would be back in the vents again. 'He's armed, don't be a hero.' The guard spoke again and Bellamy's lip curled. These men definitely weren't heroes.

Steeling himself Bellamy shot out from behind the cylinder and threw himself into the open grate, as the guards opened fire. Turning onto his back to pull both his gun, and the gun he took from the guard he knocked out earlier, out of his trousers.

'Cease fire!' The same guard who had spoken earlier yelled. 'Don't hit the tanks!' He stressed, and Bellamy grinned.

Two of the guards peered into the grate and he fired off a few rounds, shuffling backwards. Once he was sure that they weren't going to shoot again, he turned onto his hands and knees and pushed himself through the vents, knowing he only had moments before the flamethrower ignited whatever was in the cylinder.

He heard the explosion as he rounded the last corner of the vent, seeing another open grate in front of him. A second later he heard two screams, presumably from guards who had followed him, and he threw his body forward just as the force of the explosion pushed him the rest of the way.

The heat was unreal, but Bellamy had dropped out of the vent and onto the floor before any real damage could be done. The smell of burning filled his nose and he pushed himself to the side of the small room he had dropped into, coughing. He lay on his back and his coughs turned to laughter as he realised that he had done it. He had disabled the acid fog, and gotten his explosion. Now Clarke and her army were safe. He had last spoken to her about 9 hours ago, so he guessed that the grounder army were just about to enter the area Mount Weather controlled using the fog by now, assuming that they had begun to march for the mountain in the early morning, which, if Clarke had her way, they would have done. He smiled wider at the thought of her, at the thought that soon this would be over and they're friends would be safe and they could be back where they belonged. Together.