Clarke

She couldn't believe Octavia was pregnant, and that she had been this whole time and didn't even know it. She couldn't help but worry about what had happened over the last few months- in particular, the incident with Lia in the mountain, when Octavia was darted and hanged. Would that have harmed the baby? Had she told the truth when she said all would be fine? She wished she'd paid more attention to obstetrics lessons when she was apprenticing in medical on the Ark.

Now that she knew, she couldn't unsee the swell of Octavia's belly under her clothes, and she wondered just how she'd missed it before now. It had taken seeing Octavia totally naked, with the inward curve of her back and the protrusion of her stomach completely on display, before Clarke had been able to see that she was pregnant.

She couldn't help but steal a glance at Bellamy, wondering how on Earth he was going to react to this. It would be a shock, to be sure- but a happy shock? She couldn't say. His overprotectiveness of Octavia could extend to a baby, to be sure, but would his worry for his sister's youth, inexperience, and emotional state override that?

There was no way to tell, but Clarke couldn't help but think- privately- that this was no time for Octavia to be embarking on motherhood. She could hardly even hold herself together. Then again, sometimes a child could give someone a reason to live, and having a part of Lincoln could provide a lot of comfort.

She could have debated the pros and cons with herself all day, but her thoughts were soon interrupted as she heard movement in the medical bay. One quick glance at the Blakes told them they'd heard it too, and Bellamy eased himself forward, putting himself closest to the door, ready to shield both Clarke and Octavia with his body if necessary. Clarke couldn't believe that Lia had worked quite that fast- had she already done as promised, killed all but one and brought them a prisoner on a silver platter?

Then she heard Raven's voice. "Bellamy? Octavia? Clarke?"

Scrambling to their feet, they practically fell over each other to pull away the trolley and open the door. Raven wasn't the only one standing there- she was flanked by Monty, Jasper, and Monroe. A few others, including Miller and Harper, hung back, securing the room and investigating what might have been taken in the initial attack. They looked exactly the same in many ways, but there were subtle differences- mostly in hair- that reminded Clarke just how long it had been.

For a long moment they all just stood there, as though none of them could quite believe they were standing in the same room after all these months. Then, Monty was the first to move, running to Clarke and throwing his arms around her. The rest soon followed suit, all of them pulling Clarke into their arms at least once, and some of them also hugged Octavia and even Bellamy. Harper and Miller soon joined them, as did a few of the others.

"You're a guard?" Clarke asked Monroe in disbelief, noticing her uniform.

"Hey, if I can be one, anyone can," Bellamy said, looking happier than she'd seen him in a long time.

Monroe shrugged. "Something to do. We didn't think you were coming back. Glad we were wrong."

"Speak for yourself," Raven said with a big smile in Clarke's direction. "I knew you'd get around to bringing your ass home."

"Where's Lincoln?" Jasper asked innocently. But Octavia's face fell so far and so fast that everyone instantly knew what was wrong. Monroe hugged her and Octavia clung to the other girl, obviously struggling not to cry. Bellamy heaved a heavy sigh and reached out, stroking a hand over the back of his sister's head.

"I'm sorry," Jasper said, looking at the floor.

Octavia pulled away from Monroe and hugged him, shaking her head. "It's okay, you didn't know," she said softly. Jasper hugged her back, looking relieved.

"Where's Lia?" Bellamy asked Raven.

"Who?"

"The little girl," he explained. "The kid who met you at the gates."

Confusion rose up in everyone's faces. "There wasn't anyone at the gates," Raven told him.

Clarke frowned. "Then how did you know we were here?"

"Surveillance," Monty explained. "We've been watching Camp Jaha since we were forced into Mount Weather. When we saw you guys show up, we headed right back."

"Well, if 'right back' you mean two days later, after arguing with the council, forming a search party, and making the eight-hour walk to camp," Miller said dryly, with a wry smile.

"So where's Lia?" Bellamy asked, despite the fact that no one had the answer.

"Who cares," Octavia said shortly.

Clarke turned her attention to the others. "Who attacked you?" she asked. "How long ago was that? How many survived? Did they follow you when you left camp? We know you found another station- which one is it? How many people were on it? How long do you plan to stay in Mount Weather?"

"Whoa there, Clarke," Harper spoke up, giving her a small smile. "We don't know the answer to all those questions. But it's an eight-hour walk back to Mount Weather- we can tell you what we do know on the way. And I'm sure your mom will be able to explain even more."

Clarke's eyes flew to Bellamy's and she could see from his expression that he disliked that idea just as much as she did. Looking back to the others Clarke shook her head and said, "I'm not going back there."

"It's okay," Monty said gently. "We've made a lot of progress in there… cleaning up, moving supplies around, repurposing rooms. It's like a different place."

"It's the same place," Clarke said stubbornly.

"Don't worry," Bellamy told her. He raised his hand a little and she was sure he was going to touch her, but then he dropped it again. "I wouldn't go in there either, before."

"Your mom's been running a hospital out of the mountain practically since we got back," Monty said. "They had so many supplies in there… equipment, pharmaceuticals."

Clarke knew exactly where those medicines had come from, and for some reason it made her feel nothing but regret- when those supplies ran out, that would be it. They had no alliance with the Ice Nation, and even if Eema and her armies won his war, there was no saying whether they would gain access to that vital trade.

Suddenly she remembered with a start- Eema, the offer to join her coalition, the decision of whether or not to go to war.

"I need to talk to my mom," she said right away. "Her and the council. It's important."

"Well great," Miller said. "So I guess you're coming back with us after all."

"Can't they come here?" Octavia asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. Clarke doubted she cared whether they went to Mount Weather or not, but she was trying to protect her brother… and maybe Clarke, too. She must have known know hard it would be for both of them to go back there.

Raven exchanged a glance with Monty. "It's not safe here," she said finally, gently. "It's okay, we'll be with you."

"Let's just get it done," Bellamy declared.

"What have you guys been doing here for the last couple of days?" Harper spoke up suddenly, and Clarke looked and saw her standing in the doorway of the detox room, seeing the heart monitor, the defibrillator, the bandages, the cuffs dark with blood. Suddenly Clarke felt exposed, intruded upon, and she knew that if she felt that way, Bellamy had to feel a thousand times worse.

"Nothing," she said, maybe a bit more sharply than she intended. Harper actually jumped a little, responding to the authority in Clarke's tone and rejoining the group without another word.

Raven put an arm around Octavia's shoulders and asked gently, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Octavia said, shrugging her off, and Clarke saw a hand hover, just for a moment, over her stomach. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Seeming surprised or maybe hurt, Raven said, "I just meant… because of Lincoln…"

Clarke could only imagine how incredibly neurotic they all seemed.

Heading out of the station and into the sunlight, Clarke felt such a sense of dread rising up in her chest as she considered the prospect of going back to Mount Weather. She wanted to curl herself into Bellamy's arms and hold him, be held by him, but she couldn't shake what had happened inside, when he'd raised his hand to touch her and held back.

She could understand if Bellamy wanted privacy, or if he wasn't ready for their friends to find out about their relationship right now, and she tried to be pragmatic about it, but part of her was hurt, and part of her was scared. Would things be different, now that he was off the drugs, now that most of their interactions wouldn't revolve around her giving him the thing his body wanted so badly? With all his senses about him, would he still want to be with her, desire her, care for her?

She shook her head, internally admonishing herself for acting like such a teenager. She had about ten thousand more important priorities right now than worrying about whether Bellamy really liked her or not.

With a jolt, Clarke suddenly realised that she'd just taken a very important step without even thinking about it- aside from her mother, she'd just reunited with everyone she'd been nervous about seeing again, and they had been nothing but warm to her, glad she was back.

Maybe Bellamy was right… maybe anybody who might have been angry or hurt had forgiven her by now. Maybe they would all be happy to see her and nothing more. Maybe she really could just go home.