Chapter 5: A Leader Shall Rise

A/N: First and foremost, I would like to apologize for not posting this on Thursday like I usually do. I'm in grad school and things got crazy last week. I can't promise that this won't happen again, but I do work hard to make sure it doesn't. Writing is my outlet and when things get to a breaking point with school, my muse leaves me.

Secondly, I would like to say that although Bellamy is being a grade A asshole this season, I really appreciate his character and the conflict he creates. Because unfortunately, I sometimes see his side, wrong as it may be. And I have always enjoyed the strong friendship that Bellamy and Clarke have and think it is very important to both of their characters. However, I do not see romance between them, so if that's what you're looking for, I don't want to lead you on.

A group of the original hundred were sitting around a fire after dinner. Bellamy had just came back from a Council Meeting where he was serving as a representative of the original hundred. He had only accepted the position at the insistence of Abby, who felt like she needed someone in the room with more experience on Earth. It was also a peace offering to the ex-delinquents that were being forced back into society.

The news that Bellamy brought was alarming, to say the least. Kane and Pike were apparently at odds as to how to handle the grounders. Pike and his people were ready for war, if that's what it took. Kane wasn't willing to break the truce for Pike to have his revenge. Abby was firmly against the idea of getting into another war and argued that as chancellor, the final decision was hers.

Bellamy impassively recounted the argument to the group. "And then Jaha called for an election. It was the only time he spoke the entire time. He pointed out that no one had actually elected Abby-"

"But no one is having problems with Abby," protested Monty. Many of the others nodded in agreement.

"Apparently Jaha does. And so does Pike."

"All Pike wants is a war," spat Octavia in disgust.

"Just because no one is dying right now doesn't mean the Grounders aren't going to eventually want their land back. And we've got to start planting food and building villages," argued Bellamy and his sister narrowed her eyes. It was hard for him to see her so against her own people; why couldn't she understand that ever since they had landed, they were at war?

While Bellamy stared at his angry sister, Monty was saying, "No one is saying we shouldn't do anything of those things. We've got a garden started."

"It's a small one. We need large areas of land to cultivate. And we can't trust the grounders to let us do that. They are going to kill us the first excuse they get!"

"Who? Indra?"

"Look, I know you have a lot of respect for-"

"Because she deserves my respect and yours!"

This wasn't the first argument that the siblings were having about the grounders and Monty threw his head back in frustration. "Would the two of you stop already?"

"We can't just pretend we don't have a problem," said Bellamy. "We have to elect a chancellor. They have all agreed on that. The councilors were sent back to tell their groups. And everyone should be aware of the facts before they vote, just like on the Ark."

"But we're not on the Ark!"

"But we're still trying to figure out the best way not to die," whispered Harper, bringing everyone into silence.

Monty closed his eyes briefly before calmly stating, "So let's look at who we've got. First, Jaha-"

"No one is electing that nut job." Miller and Bryan were sniggering into their drinks. Monty rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying. There's Jaha, who already has supporters. Nut job or not, he did get us to Earth."

Bellamy shook his head. "I'm not sure he's running. He seemed determined to have an election, but he didn't put his name in. It's just Kane and Pike as far as we know."

"Kane is too much like Abby..."

"What's wrong with Abby?" barked Octavia.

Monroe raised her hands in mock surrender. "I was just saying that Chancellor Kane is no different than Chancellor Griffin and Abby just reminds us all of..."

"Clarke," finished Bellamy as he stared into the flickering orange flames. Whenever he closed his eyes at night, he could see the haunted look on Clarke's face as she walked away from all of them. They needed her now.

"And Mount Weather," added Miller. Bryan squeezed his boyfriend's hand sympathetically. Harper raised her glass in a mock salute before downing her moonshine in one gulp.

"That just leaves Pike."

"Pike is bloodthirsty! All he wants is war with the grounders!" Octavia was pacing now, but she wasn't the only one with that opinion.

"I'm tired of fighting constantly," muttered Miller. "Pike has become a soldier. And what's a soldier without a war?"

"Kane's a soldier."

Monty shook his head. "Not anymore. He's changed...just like the rest of us."

"Monty's mom trusts Pike and so does Bryan, right?"

Bryan looked nervous at being put on the spot. After a gentle nudge from his boyfriend, he said, "Without Pike, Farm Station wouldn't be here. And I know that a lot of shit went down with the grounders here, but we lost two thirds of the people who landed...it was a lot of funerals..."

"Which is why we have to be prepared for-" started Bellamy in frustration.

"Being prepared to fight and going out and looking for a fight are two completely different things!" Monty shouted back.

Miller stood up to stand between them. "Yelling isn't going to do anyone any good. We are all going to have to make a decision on our own."

"But if we can all vote in agreement, then that person will be sure to win. Other people will vote for whoever we back."

"Don't'cha find it odd that we're the ones who will swing the election?" asked Monroe before taking a sip of her moonshine. She had been completely ignoring the discussion since Mount Weather had been brought up, instead choosing to stare thoughtfully in the fire. "I mean we were all locked up on the Ark and if they hadn't floated us at eighteen, we wouldn't have been able to vote anyway. But then because we survived actual hell on Earth, we suddenly have a political voice."

Bellamy and Monty stopped arguing long enough to stare at her. "What?"

"She's got a point," muttered Harper. "One of us should run."

"No." Bellamy got to his feet and finished off his drink. "That's a horrible idea."

"Why? When we were at war with the Grounders and the Mountain Men, Clarke led us. Sure, Kane or Abby had the Chancellor pin, but it was Clarke who made the decisions."

"Clarke isn't here," stated Bellamy flatly, his eyes dark with bitter memory.

"But you are- you led us before the Ark came down, back at the dropship," pushed Monroe. "I'd vote for you."

"I'm not running!" shouted Bellamy. The young man pushed himself onto his feet and looked around at his friends. "I'm supporting Pike. And I think all of you should do the same."

Monty shrugged at his suggestion, but replied in agreement, "I don't think any of us should run. The rest of the Arkadians would never follow one of us. But I'm tired of fighting…"

Octavia's eyes were narrowed at her brother. They had always been a team, but ever since the appearance of Astrid Rolston and Charles Pike, Bellamy had become a different person. Or at least, that's the way Octavia saw it. Lincoln had pointed out to her that perhaps it was her who has changed. The betrayal of the grounders, especially Indra, had hit her hard. But she wasn't ready to kill them; and there was a time when she would have been ready to kill anything that moved.

"The election takes place in four days," reported Bellamy. "I'm not going to spend my time trying to convince you of anything. But I believe that Pike is the right choice to keep Arkadia safe."

Bellamy left them around the fire to think over what he had said. He knew why Octavia couldn't see what he did, but he didn't know why the others were hesitant to support Pike. Especially Monty, who had been in the room when he and Clarke had made the decision to pull the lever. The grounders were not only responsible for the cold blooded murder of Pike's people from Farm Station, but for every soul who died at the dropship and the people that they couldn't save in Mount Weather.

The grounders were the reason Clarke was gone. She had been betrayed by Lexa and forced to go too far. No matter how necessary it had been to flood the bunker with radiation, it still didn't make it any easier. Pike was their only way to protect themselves. They had to show the grounders and Lexa that they weren't afraid. Pike's plan to fight for their own territory just made sense. They would come around, of that Bellamy was sure.

-THE 100-

The next morning Abby was working in the hospital when she heard a clatter in the hallway. There was some shouting and someone was apologizing in a rush. She reached for her medical kit with the thought that if someone was running toward the hospital, then she would certainly be needed somewhere in a hurry. Monty rushed through the doorway, breathing hard.

"Come quick- Clarke's back!"

Abby's heart stopped beating in her chest as she tried to process the four words Monty had shouted. The young man was staring at her, his chest heaving. There was a smile plastered across his face that Abby hadn't seen since he had brought his mother to meet her. Abby suddenly snapped back to reality, dropped the med kit and started for the door. "Where is she?"

She followed Monty outside toward the front gate where she could see a crowd of the original hundred had gathered. Monty grabbed her hand and pushed his way through, dragging Abby along to finally see her daughter. The first thing Abby saw when the crowd parted was a very proud Octavia. The young woman smiled broadly at her and stepped to the side to reveal a dirt covered and dark haired Clarke.

But Abby didn't see the mud or the matted discolored hair; all she could see was her daughter. Clarke, the tiny baby she gave birth to; Clarke, the little girl who loved dancing with her daddy; Clarke, the studious teenager; Clarke, the girl who refused to betray her father and bravely went to lockup; Clarke, the young woman who led her people through a war; and Clarke, her daughter whose blue eyes were screaming out in pain of the guilt she suffered from.

"Clarke," Abby whispered and the young woman took a tentative step forward. Abby blinked back her tears and finally took her only daughter into her arms for the first time in a month.

Clarke allowed her mother to embrace her and as soon as Abby kissed the side of her head, Clarke felt something finally release inside. "I'm sorry," she choked out, trying not to cry.

Abby pulled back far enough to cup Clarke's face in her hands and stare intently into Clarke's glistening eyes and murmured, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. I love you."

"I love you, too." The two held each other tightly, until Clarke spied Bellamy over her mother's shoulder. She pulled away from the embrace, but grabbed Abby's hand and greeted her friend with a simple, "Hello."

"I see you got my message…" Bellamy shifted awkwardly on his feet, not really meeting her eyes.

Clarke squeezed her mother's hand and with a small, but sincere smile at her friend, said, "Thank you."

Before Bellamy could reply, another person pushed through the crowd. Jake stopped a couple feet away from his wife and daughter who were still holding hands. Unlike when he saw Abby for the first time, Jake didn't run to embrace his daughter. Instead, he stood still, staring at his daughter. Clarke stared back in disbelief.

Still holding on to her daughter's hand, Abby guided Clarke over to where Jake was standing in shock. She gently took her husband's hand and placed Clarke's pale one in her place. "He's really here, Clarke."

"Dad?" The tears that Clarke had been so desperate to hold back were finally beginning to fall. The physical touch of her father's hand brought her back to reality. Every moment from the day Jake had told Clarke about his plan came flooding back. "But how?"

"It was all a hologram. From the moment I stepped in to the airlock, it didn't really open. It was all an illusion," explained Jake. His eyes glistened in reflection of his daughter's tears. Slowly, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around his only daughter. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

"Oh, Dad…" Now sobbing, Clarke hugged her father tighter. Abby was crying now too and Jake held out an arm to welcome her into the hug. They would have time later for words, for now they were content just to hold on to each other.

The crowd around them cheered as the family was finally reunited. Standing apart from the crowd, but carefully watching the Griffins, was Jaha. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered a thought he had once had, a vision of sorts, where he stood with his family on Earth. But that was gone now. Now he had the City of Light.

"We can't wait much longer." ALIE was next to him watching the others celebrate the return of Clarke.

"I thought we agreed to use the election as a distraction."

ALIE nodded and turned her attention away from the Griffins. "And it's working. But Kane and Abby are going to be a problem."

"I told you that I'd handle Abby. Jake has been extremely receptive to our talks about the City of Light." Jaha closed his eyes and allowed himself back into the City. ALIE and her red dress was there to greet him. He smiled at the few people who were mediating somewhere inside the Ark. They had already found a few people willing and worthy of the City of Light.

"But he will talk to his wife first. And she is going to be against it. Abby Griffin is headstrong and a rule breaker."

Jaha sighed and asked, "I thought we had decided to bring Raven and Jasper into the City first. Then, will Raven, Jasper, and Jake to convince Abby, the others will fall into line. And of course, the others who you cared for after they were sent to Earth. Darius and Astrid have already taken the key."

"We are sticking to the plan, Thelonious. It's time to act."

"Raven isn't ready," he argued.

ALIE tilted her head to the side. "I've been watching her. It's time, Thelonious. You don't have doubts, do you?"

"Of course not. The City is everyone's destiny. And we can take away Raven's pain…and Jasper's. That's all I want for my people."

"Then we can move on with our plans."

"Of course," replied Jaha with a smile.

Opening his eyes, Jaha watched the Griffins walk back into the Ark. ALIE had a plan for all of them and Jaha needed to bring more people into the City of Light. That meant getting more people to take the key. Darius and Astrid had been convincing others to accept the key. Kane was distracted by Pike and the election and now Abby had her mind occupied by her family. First he had to convince Raven and Jasper to relieve their pain. Then he could move on to Jake and the rest of Arkadia.