Bellamy

Moira had left them alone to think about the terms of the so-called agreement, and Lia had gone with her. The four of them- Echo, Lincoln, Octavia, and Bellamy- were in the little room where Octavia had been staying inside the mountain. Octavia had forced Lincoln to lie down, and the man was obviously more exhausted than he let on because he had fallen asleep almost immediately. Echo politely stayed near his bedside in case he woke, giving Bellamy the opportunity to take Octavia to the other side of the room for a real discussion.

"Have you had any luck finding any kind of door to the surface?" he asked first.

Her blue eyes were indignant. "Would I still be here if I had?"

Bellamy nodded. "Okay… well we need to find a way out, and now."

"I know that," she answered impatiently, but he could see the underlying fear in her eyes, the hopelessness.

"Hey," he said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder, catching her eyes. "We're going to get out of here. I won't let anything happen to you."

Tentatively, she nodded. "I know." Something still seemed to be bothering her though. He waited, knowing that sometimes she had to roll something around in her head for a minute before she could voice it. Sure enough, she looked back at him and said, "That thing about me… the radiation…"

He shook his head firmly. "It doesn't matter. You're not giving them anything, O. No one here is going to let that happen."

"Except your shadow child friend," she said dryly.

Bellamy hesitated. "Yeah. Well, we'll just have to find a way to deal with her."

"With how Lincoln and Echo talk, you wouldn't think there was a way to deal with her," she said, her eyes sliding in the direction of the Grounders.

He gritted his teeth for a moment. "We'll find a way."

"Bellamy..." Octavia trailed off and didn't seem to want to continue, but the way she said his name was odd and he knew she was trying to get to something important.

"What?" he asked gently.

When her eyes met his, her gaze was timid, almost frightened. "Do you know… I mean…" She sighed, shook her head and just blurted, "Who's my father, Bell?"

He froze. After more than seventeen years, she was asking this now? Their mother had never invited the topic, but he'd always thought that one day she would ask him. Not in the middle of a crisis, though. Shaking his head he said, "Look, O… that's not something we should get into right now."

"I know," she said as they lost eye contact. "I just wondered."

"Because of the radiation thing?" he asked carefully.

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't know, I guess when we were talking about how I wasn't engineered like everyone else, it made me wonder. I've always felt different for the way I was raised, but I never really thought about how I was different because of him."

Bellamy shifted uncomfortably, trying not to react to those words. "Not because of him," he said finally, unable to contain his distaste. "Because of Mom. He doesn't matter." Octavia's father was a sore subject for him, for so many reasons.

His sister shook her head, dropping her gaze to the floor. "Okay. Nevermind."

Bellamy felt a surge of guilt and he reached out, curling his fingers under her chin to tip it up so he could look her in the eyes. "Octavia. It's okay to ask," he assured her. "Really. But let's figure out how we're going to get out of this first, and then we'll talk about it- I promise. Okay?"

She smiled a little, nodded. "Yeah. Deal."

Bellamy was glad she seemed satisfied with that. The truth was, he felt totally overwhelmed, and Octavia's father was not a subject he wanted to address right now. They had much bigger things to worry about.

He had no idea how he was going to get her out of here in one piece, but he did know that he couldn't let them get their hands on her- not a chance. He seriously considered just irradiating the whole facility like he and Clarke had done at Mount Weather. Just like then, Octavia was in trouble, and his first instinct was to protect her- to hell with the consequences. He couldn't help but think of the vision Echo had given him.

.

"But how many bodies is too many?" he'd asked his mother, as he imagined them sitting together at the table in their quarters, little Octavia sleeping in the bunk nearby. "When is it too much?"

She had reached for his arm and held it tightly, her voice full of firm resolve as she said, "Never. It's never too much. Not if it means saving her life."

.

But, just like in Mount Weather, there were kids here, and unlike Mount Weather, these people weren't actively killing his friends. Yes, they wanted to hurt his sister, and of course he wouldn't allow that, but otherwise it seemed like the whole place was fairly tame. So what was he supposed to do?

Lia was an added problem. She had already given him a preview of what she was capable of, and there was no telling what she'd do if they went against her terms. She'd said Octavia had the right to refuse, but that if she did she would have to stay here, and there was no way anyone was going to let that happen.

There was also another source of urgency, growing steadily larger: Clarke needed him. Now that he knew Octavia was alive and relatively safe- her current status as a prisoner notwithstanding- Clarke's predicament pulled at him. He had to get out of this place and he had to go north, find her, make sure she was okay, and bring her back home. He just had to know that she was out of danger. So whatever was going to happen here, it had to happen fast.

He thought through every possible option he could- killing everyone inside the mountain, exchanging himself for Octavia, taking Moira prisoner and threatening to shoot her if they didn't let all of them leave, trying to turn Lia over to their side and get her to change the terms of the agreement so Octavia could go… he even considered letting Octavia go through with the procedure, then coming back on the way home from getting Clarke and destroying the mountain then, so they could never use what they'd taken from his sister. But he knew they couldn't afford to wait three more weeks, that Clarke might not have that time.

None of his ideas were any good, and none of them were going to work. He felt helpless, edging on desperate, and he didn't know what to do.

"Bell!" Octavia's voice broke through his thoughts, and from its urgency he realised she'd probably called to him more than once.

"Sorry." He shook his head, let out a frustrated breath.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked him. He looked at her, wishing he had an answer- any answer.

Echo was watching him. Carefully she said, "We have very few options."

Octavia glanced at her, and then she looked at him again, and he knew she could see on his face that he had no idea what to do. "Leave me here," she told him firmly. "I'll be fine."

"No way," he answered immediately, shaking his head. "No, you know what they're going to do if you stay here."

Octavia shook her head. "No, that's only if I leave… if I stay here, they won't do that. They won't take anything from me. Go and get Clarke, and then come back for me." She touched his arm. "I'll be fine."

"No," he said again, shaking his head, his jaw tight. "I can't leave you here. I'm not going anywhere without you… I don't trust these people."

"Neither do I, but we don't have a choice," she said. "Clarke might be in worse trouble than me."

"She's right," Echo spoke up, her voice gentle. "There is no other option."

"You know it's true, Bell," Octavia said gently. She glanced at Echo, and then added, "Lincoln will stay with me. You know he won't let them hurt me."

Bellamy hated it so much. He tried to think of a way out, an argument, but he couldn't- there was no alternative. Octavia and Echo were right, and he couldn't stand it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lincoln, but that was about where his trust ended, and the idea of leaving his sister in a place like this went against everything he believed in, all that his mother had raised him to be.

Eventually, squeezing his eyes shut, he said through gritted teeth, "Fine." He felt defeated, totally crushed- he hated this. He looked at his sister and said, "But I'm coming back for you, O. As soon as I have Clarke, I'm getting you out of here."

"I know, Bell," she said gently, nodding her head.

They woke Lincoln up and Octavia explained the plan to him. He agreed with it, grudgingly, but he seemed relieved that he was going to get to stay with Octavia, and as much as Bellamy detested all of this, he was glad that Lincoln would be watching over her. He knew she'd be safe; as much as he hated to see her locked up again, he knew it was only temporary.

It wasn't long before Moira and Lia returned. Bellamy watched Moira cross over to Octavia and give her a smile that seemed friendly, but he couldn't help but hate this woman. Lia hung in the doorway- watching, waiting.

"Have you made your decision?" Moira asked gently.

Reluctantly, Octavia nodded. "I'll stay," she said, not making eye contact with her. "I'll stay here with you."

"Oh, Octavia, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that," Moira said, reaching out abruptly and hugging her close. Bellamy tensed, watching his sister squirm out of the woman's grasp, but Moira didn't seem concerned. "I know this is hard, but I promise you'll have a good life here," she said.

It was revolting, but what was even worse was that they all had to go along with it. The disgust was clear on Octavia's face as she said, "Lincoln's going to stay with me."

The smile fell off Moira's face and she said, "No."

"What?" Octavia asked, dumbfounded. No one was quite prepared for that, and Bellamy exchanged an uncertain glance with Echo.

"I'll willingly join your community to stay with her," Lincoln explained carefully.

"And while I appreciate that, I don't want you here," Moira said bluntly. "The whole point of her being here is so her genes are passed down to the next generation of my people."

Lincoln looked taken aback and he stood up, wrapping an arm around Octavia. "But we belong to each other," he protested.

Moira's lips pressed into a thin line. "Not anymore. I'm sorry, but it's non-negotiable."

"Well then I'm not staying," Octavia growled.

From the doorway Lia said, "We do not have time for this. We have already been delayed and we will be delayed again before this is over." She looked at Bellamy and said, her eyes cold, "You have heard the terms. Do not try to negotiate further. Your sister remains here, and that is final. The only question is whether she stays here for life or whether she is released at the end of her procedure. Now what is your decision?"

"That she stays, but only if Lincoln stays with her," Bellamy snapped, glaring at the girl. "I won't leave her here alone. He has to stay or no deal."

Lia's eyes filled with rage and she moved so fast that nobody had a chance to stop her, or even realise what she was doing. It was only when Octavia started screaming that Bellamy's eyes flew to her, and he saw that both she and Lincoln were crumpled over, covered in blood.

Pandemonium erupted in that little room.

Echo backed away from Lia with such haste that she stumbled against the bedside table and fell. Moira screamed and flattened herself against the wall, her hand flying to her mouth. Bellamy saw it all as if in slow motion, and it seemed to take forever for him to cross the short distance to his sister's side, where he knelt beside her. The floor was now filled with a slowly expanding pool of blood, and he could feel it soaking through to his knees, hot and sticky.

"What the hell did you do?!" he yelled at Lia, but he was already grabbing at Octavia's arms and hands, covered in blood, looking for the wounds.

His sister wrenched away from him and she pressed her hands under Lincoln's chin. His head was slumped in her arms, and she was desperately trying to stop the torrent of blood that was pouring from his neck. But Bellamy knew he was dead- the wound was huge and gaping, and had nearly decapitated him; his mouth had gone slack, his eyes unblinking. Octavia was trying desperately to stop the bleeding, tears rolling down her cheeks as she screamed and screamed.

Bellamy felt the colour draining from his face, but what he felt most guilty for was the relief that was mixed in with his horror and rage, the relief at knowing that it was not Octavia who'd been hurt- at least physically, she was fine. Tentatively he reached out and laid a hand on the back of her neck, squeezing lightly, his other hand closing over her shoulder as he tried, gently, to pull her away from Lincoln's body.

"Octavia," he whispered, his voice breaking. "God… I'm so sorry, O… he's gone."

She jerked away from him, launched to her feet, fists clenched, eyes full of what looked like something close to insanity. She bared her teeth at Lia as her lips curled back in fury, and both Bellamy and Echo seemed to realise at the same moment that she was about to attack. In unison, they reached up and each of them grabbed one of Octavia's arms, stopping her.

She struggled, but Bellamy wrapped her up in his arms and dragged her as far away from Lia as he could get her, holding her close to his chest, trying to use his body to shield her- from Lia, from the bloody mess that used to be Lincoln… from everything. Octavia stopped fighting and collapsed against him, weeping, still screaming, her hands knotting in his shirt. He tucked her head under his chin and felt his own tears welling up. He knew he would never forget the sound of his sister's heart breaking, while all he could do was hold her tightly in his arms.

He stared over Octavia's head at Lia- that so-called little girl- and his eyes were wide, his mind having trouble processing all that had just happened: the horror and terrible pain that Lia had just caused, the bloody knife still clasped in her little hand, the completely calm expression on her face that struck him as the most disturbing part. Now he believed every word that Echo had said about shadow children… only now it was too late.

Lia wiped Lincoln's blood on a corner of the bed sheet and returned the blade to her belt. "I have solved your problem," she said calmly, meeting his eyes. "I will allow you some time to mourn together, but then we will leave." Looking to Moira she ordered, "Come with me."

Moira could barely contain her nerves as she stuttered out an agreement and, casting one last fearful look in their direction, she left the room with Lia.

Echo let out a gulp and Bellamy saw her sink slowly to the floor, her head in her hands, her body trembling with obvious terror. He could only imagine how she must have felt- to be told of the danger of shadow children her whole life, like stories about the boogeyman, and then to see it play out right in front of her. But he didn't have time to comfort her.

His only thoughts were for Octavia. "Shshsh," he whispered. "It's okay… it's okay…" It wasn't, not even close, but the words seemed to soothe her, and slowly he felt her settling down. Her sobs turning to hiccups, then to silence, her body's shakes gradually dissipated, and then she lay still in his arms, slumped against him. Gently he tilted her chin up, but when he caught sight of her eyes they were flat, her whole expression numb. He was looking into her face, but it was not his sister who was looking back.