Epilogue:

The spring thaw had started with short bursts followed by light snows until finally, the snow stopped and the white had turned into the dark brown of the soil beneath and then the water ran off altogether and the people of the city were left with dry land and the need to begin filling it with crops that could be used to resupply the desolate market that had long ago run out of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Lexa had been right. The grounders were used to the weather and getting through harsh winters. They had helped the others acclimate to the climate and the supply shortage while the weather ravaged the town without power and running water. In a way, it was a good thing that the people had one harsher element to endure. It brought them all much closer together and helped to solidify the relationship between the former warring tribes.

There were only 8 tribes left including the Sky People. The others had fled as Lexa had ordered them to do. They had no news of them, but Clarke suspected many casualties had likely occurred on the long, laborious trek back to their native lands. The traveling between Jaha, the capital and the city had stopped and would only begin again once they had enough fuel for the planes to make enough trips to get everyone. They'd made the decision not to start the process until they knew they could bring all willing parties and had at least something of benefit to offer them.

It took a few months as Raven had professed to get the plant up and running again. Clarke suspected that it would have taken half the time had Raven had real skilled engineers and workers, but she spent at least one month of her time training people to do what she and Wick needed them to do. Once the work really began, they were able to first get the water back, but it was rationed while they continued work on the dam that powered it. There was no hot water for the first couple of months until finally they were able to have hot showers. Clarke and Lexa set a 5-minute per house occupant limit. It had only been recently that they'd relaxed the water rations a little. The people needed something positive to help them continue on and while they couldn't take off the restrictions entirely due to the influx of people they were about to endure, the 20 minutes of hot water per person per household put smiles on the faces of people as they walked through the town.

The fuel had been a project Wick and Monty ran together. Monty was the technical guy while Wick worked on the engineering of it all. Jasper helped by directing the training where he could. He'd seemed happier recently. Clarke noticed him talking to one of the grounder women and they were both laughing. It had been almost a year since the mountain and the pain he felt for his loss. Clarke guessed he was moving on and she was happy for him. It helped free her of the guilt at the deaths she caused by her actions that day.

Abby had been hard at work at the hospital. Clarke was sure her mother hadn't taken a day off since she'd been here. It just wasn't in her nature to rest while others worked. Clarke was starting to see more and more of her mother in herself the older she got. Abby had reorganized the hospital to make better use of the facilities and equipment. She'd managed to run it rather smoothly while there was no power and everything was fried. They'd lost people. Clarke had no way of knowing exactly how many, but she suspected that of the original group of 250+ that had arrived with them initially, there were less than 100 left. Some died during the battles and bombs and others lost battles to sickness and infection. Of the group of original city inhabitants, there were about 45 left in the city; over 50 if you count those locked up in the city jail awaiting their long flight from which they will not return. Glacia, York and Brooklyn had been locked away since that day. Their supporters had been locked away as well and Clarke and Lexa had asked the council, which now had additional members, to banish them as well for the safety of the city. The council, which now included Indra and Atami from Lexa's clan, and two people from each of the other clans, also included Bellamy and Kane from the Sky People. Clarke had asked each of them for different reasons. Bellamy had always been a good sounding board and had been smart in his decisions after the initial issues they'd had upon arriving. Kane had the experience of being a leader on the ark and of the harsh realities that meant. He'd be a good advisor and would make sure they didn't repeat history. Jaha and the others still had not been heard of and Clarke and the council were suspecting they might never be. They always left a light on in the city center as a beacon just in case and Monty and Jasper had worked on a message that always ran on a frequency Jaha and the others might check if they got close enough to the city. Abby hadn't been offered the position because Clarke knew she would decline. She had found her place at the hospital and was thriving there.

Everyone had his or her place in the city. They had their jobs and their homes and families. The government was stable and when Raven and Wick finally switched the power back on, there had been a celebration. Clarke and Lexa watched as people from different clans came together and hugged one another gratefully knowing that the work they had done had contributed to the outcome. There would be warmth and food again. The gasoline would be replenished in the cars and driving lessons would begin. The original city people would teach those and with the sun and the thawing ground came the smiles on the faces of the people Clarke had somehow been placed in charge of.

"It is time." Lexa told her. "Are you ready?" She asked Clarke, looking over at her.

They stood on the hot pavement of the airfield. The small plane had been started and checked and re-checked for the past week to ensure it was safe for Warner, their trusted pilot to deliver their captives to their future home and return safely. He'd brought with him enough fuel and some extra just in case to make the journey and Bellamy had requested he join him as his co-pilot. He'd been trying to learn how to fly so he could help with the trips back and forth. This would be a good test for him. He'd also be in charge of re-fueling mid-flight, as Monty had altered the fuel tank to allow for that. The large plane still required additional work. The electronics on it had been fried beyond repair in come cases and now that Raven had fixed the water and power situation, she could begin tackling the other issues throughout the city. She'd been taking Jasper and a couple of others out to train them on some of the easier things so she could delegate them out.

Clarke had been extremely impressed with Raven. Her work ethic was evident in everything she did. She'd moved into one of the smaller houses by herself at first and Clarke worried about her. She'd never really had time to heal from the loss of Finn and her own encountered traumas, but Clarke saw her start smiling again the day they first fixed the water and then more and more each day after. She'd turned from hard-working recluse to a valued member of the society and had recently made the decision to move in with Wick closer to the town's center.

Clarke watched as Glacia, York and Brooklyn were walked to the plane in handcuffs. They all looked very thin. They'd had enough food to make it through the winter thanks to the hunting parties that went out regularly and returned with game and plants that could survive the harsh climate and Clarke had made sure the prisoners were fed, but it seemed the stress of their situation had impacted each of them even if their pride would never let them admit it. They were walked past the two leaders of the city and while York kept his head down, Glacia glared at Lexa.

"I expected more of you, Lexa." She shared. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. I will find my way back."

"Yu gonplei ste odon, Glacia of the Azgeda." Lexa made eye contact and told her before looking off at the plane, which roared waiting for its passengers.

Glacia said nothing else. Brooklyn first walked past Clarke and then turned around to look at her. Her expression wasn't of anger or frustration, but of fear and concern. Clarke considered the punishment they'd decided on together all those months ago and took in Brooklyn's expression, reconsidering it. Brooklyn turned back around to face the plane after getting nothing from Clarke. Clarke knew this was the only solution. It gave them a chance at a life somewhere without risking the safety of the city and the people she'd been tasked with caring for.

The passengers made their reluctant way toward the aircraft and Lexa took Clarke's hand as they watched together.

"We're making the right choice, aren't we?" Clarke asked the rhetorical question.

"We must end this chapter so that we might begin another, Clarke." Lexa returned and looked on as the group boarded the plane.

"We're all set." Bellamy approached. "Should take us about 14 hours one-way and about 12 back depending on the wind.

"Look at you, master pilot." Clarke mocked.

"Warner's a good teacher and I like flying." Bellamy replied. "We'll drop them and I'll take lead on the return flight so Warner can sleep. If we're not back in 30 hours though…" He trailed off.

"Bell, you'll be back."

"Just… uh… if something goes… just take care of Octavia for me." He stated nervously.

"I think her husband will take care of her, Bell."

"Just look out for her." He retorted.

"Always." Clarke brought him in for a brief hug feeling confident he would return with Warner and all would be fine.

Bellamy walked off and hustled to the plane. Warner was already on board and he waved in Clarke's direction before starting to drive the plane down the still slightly overgrown runway.

"I missed it." Octavia ran up behind them. She was out of breath and looked ahead with her hand over her eyebrows trying to stare into the sun and look for Bellamy in the plane. "I was late."

"He'll be back, Octavia." Clarke insisted.

"I know. I still wanted to say good bye though." Octavia caught a glimpse of Bellamy's slowly waving hand and nodded in reply. "How long till they get back?"

"A day… a little more." Clarke answered her question.

"I'm gonna go burn everything in those jail cells now that they're empty. Really get rid of them."

"You can just throw it out." Clarke told her.

"No, Octavia is right to do so. It will help us cleanse ourselves of the past. Arrange for it all to be brought to the city center. We will burn it all there. We will have a celebration of their departure and bring in new beginnings."

"Sounds good to me."

"How are Lincoln's trainees doing?" Lexa asked.

"Fine. How much longer are we going to do these watches?" Octavia asked with exhaustion in her tone. Lexa had demanded at least one person on watch at all major city entrances day and night since they'd arrived. Lincoln and Octavia had led the teams initially and were now responsible for training new recruits and replacements in what to look for and fighting techniques just in case. Nothing had been spotted thankfully, but Lexa was right to want to be prepared. Lincoln, Indra and Octavia were also responsible for keeping the army together and trained. Octavia's focus was on the Sky People while Lincoln and Indra worked with the other clans and their generals to combine fighting techniques, weapons and survival skill lessons to make sure that if anyone did try to take the city to war, they'd be ready.

"Indefinitely. It will get easier now that the winter is over and our focus should be on building shelters and towers at each of the main watch points. "We must not get complacent. We must always be prepared for a war even if we are lucky enough to find ourselves in a time of peace."

"Fine, but it would be nice if Lincoln and I could have just a few days off every now and then. That's all I'm saying." She turned to walk away.

Lexa released Clarke's hand and took Octavia's instead holding it up and then clasping it in her other.

"Atami spoke to me this morning."

"Oh crap. She wasn't-"

"Train our warriors and when the time comes, you will have all the time off you need."

"That's not what I meant." Octavia clarified.

"I know, but it is necessary."

"What are you two talking about?" Clarke asked and watched as Octavia pulled back her hand.

"Nothing. Atami shouldn't have said anything. I don't want anyone to know yet. I just told Lincoln yesterday. I-"

"Oh my God, you're…" Clarke pieced it together. "But the test? Lincoln can't-"

"I talked to your mom, Clarke. She retested Lincoln's blood. It turns out it was possible all along. Just a very slim possibility. 3-5% from what Abby could gather with limited supplies and tests. I guess Carolina just didn't like those odds so she told us Lincoln couldn't have kids or maybe it was just a part of her crazy plan to get us to couple off with them instead of each other. I don't know." Octavia filled in. "But here I am."

Clarke smiled and brought her in for a hug.

"Congratulations."

"Not exactly a planned thing and it's not a good time, I know." Octavia shared.

"Octavia, it's great news." Clarke confirmed. "I'm so happy for you two. How far along?"
"Abby says between 14-16 weeks." Octavia supplied.

"You can't fight anymore, Octavia. You should be resting. We can find you something else to do while-"

"Clarke, I don't want any special treatment. I just want to do my job for as long as I can, which from what Abby tells me won't be for that long anyway." Octavia shrugged. "I'm going to get back to that job and make sure we're setup for the watch. Let me know if you hear anything from Bell."

"We will." Lexa told her.

"I can't believe she's pregnant." Clarke revealed.

"The birth of a child will serve to solidify our-"

"Lexa-" Clarke interrupted. "Octavia and Lincoln are having a baby. It doesn't have to be about the city or the people. It can just be about them."

Lexa smiled at her. Clarke ran her hand along Lexa's cheek, admiring the woman in front of her. Lexa had lost most of the signs that she had once been the commander of old. She wore the more traditional garb of the people of the city. She'd put away the black war paint and rarely carried a sword. She only walked escorted to major events and that was more for appearances than safety. The people supported Clarke and Lexa's leadership. They supported the government they'd created from nothing. They supported the vision of the future.

"You are right. It is great news for them." Lexa acquiesced.

Clarke took another look at the plane. It was high in the air, reaching for the clouds. All remnants of their troubles upon arrival were gone. She took in a deep, but light breath feeling all tension leave her body and she dropped her hand down to take Lexa's. As she held it, she toyed with the ring that had been there for many months.

"I'm ready now."

Lexa's facial expression read shock as she connected with Clarke's eyes. A smile spread across her face.

"The celebration upon Bellamy's return? I assume you'd want him there."

"Yes." Clarke smiled back.

"Should we confess to the city that we-"

"No." Clarke interjected. "For all they'll know, we're just holding a more public ceremony."

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Lexa's.

"I worried the day would never come." Lexa confessed.

Clarke pulled back enough to look at her.

"The day was always going to come." She leaned back in and kissed Lexa gently at first until her hand went to the back of her head and pulled in her for a deeper connection. She didn't care about anyone around that might be watching them or the fact that marrying Lexa this quickly undoubtedly meant a lot of work would have to be done in the next couple of days and that she didn't really need the public celebration. She just needed to make it official. Lexa belonged to her and she belonged to Lexa. They would celebrate it with the city because, as leaders, that was their duty. When they finally separated and began walking back toward their shared home, they walked past the sign they'd placed at the city's entrance several months prior. "Welcome to Destiny: New Hope for the New World."