Summary: Non-canon, Drama/Romance, hopefully with some Action/Adventure thrown in. Bellarke, Linctavia and probably more once I get going. :D
Rated M – for adult themes.
Disclaimer: Just borrowing The 100, not for profit!
The Homestead
Chapter 16 – Clarke
After three whole days of constitutional meetings and trade agreements Clarke was glad to have a little downtime.
Marcus and most of the other delegates had left the city, leaving Clarke to her usual daily routine. Sometimes she found her everyday incredibly pedestrian and other times reassuringly comfortable in its repetitiveness.
The thing that kept her drive alive this time around, was the progress they had made over the last three days and hence, the impending signing of the constitution.
Not to mention Indra's discovery and what that meant for her plans for the future.
If you could call it a plan – it was more like a sweet, sweet promise from a be-freckled, curly-haired man and a shit load of hope resting on the shoulders of a stranger she had never met.
"I found her," Indra had told her in the tower corridor three days ago.
Clarke stared at her incredulously - her eyes and mouth agape.
"I found Luna," Indra clarified, as if Clarke had forgotten about the entire mission.
Clarke almost snorted. How could she forget? She had waited in anticipation for four months. Everything hung on the success of Indra's expedition. Everything.
"Thank-you Indra. I'm so grateful." Clarke said with sincerity, reaching a hand up to her friend's arm.
"Don't be," Indra replied roughly.
That didn't sound good. Clarke's brow furrowed. "Is she with you?" she asked nervously.
Indra shook her head.
Clarke closed her eyes and sighed.
"But she's agreed to meet."
Her head perked up. "Great. Can you set it up?"
"Already done," Indra answered firmly. She was proving to be one of Clarke's favourite people. "I'll take you to her tomorrow at noon." She almost smiled then. "She's keen to hear what you have to say."
Clarke wanted to share her news with Marcus straight away but there was no guarantee Luna would agree to her proposal. She told herself that if the woman had come all this way she had to be relatively interested, at least. But Clarke had waited so long in silence just for Indra to find Luna, she didn't want to jump to conclusions and ruin everything before the deal was sealed.
Patience had never been her strong point, but given that she'd spent the last four months in agony, with not even a hint of news from Indra, she figured she could hold back from telling Marcus, or anybody for that matter, just a wee bit longer.
Hopefully after tomorrow at noon, she wouldn't have to.
Clarke threw herself head first into work on the constitution after returning from the summer solstice.
Negotiations had reached a stalemate prior to her visit to the homestead but she now had a renewed interest in the swift completion of the clan's code of living and pushed discussions ahead with vigour.
She was determined to see it through - then she could be through. Through with being the commander - through with Polis and the responsibility of so many people.
There was more to life than just surviving, and she wanted to explore that notion – with Bellamy.
As time drew on, however, and the image of his eyes as they made their goodbyes became a faded memory, Clarke came to realise that walking away from her role as Commander was not going to be quite so simple.
She couldn't just abandon the position with no solution for her people. She'd tried that angle before and knew it wasn't the right thing to do.
Besides, she didn't want chaos to ensue. That was the whole reason she'd agreed to become the Commander in the first place – to alleviate the threat of anarchy among the clans.
She had to have a plan.
Clarke thought back to the beginning of the entire predicament – after Pike had tortured Bellamy and Octavia had relayed what they'd all hoped would never eventuate.
It was then that Lincoln and Indra had first told her about Luna and she had ordered a special team, headed by Lincoln, to go out in search of her.
The mission had been unsuccessful.
Lincoln and his crew returned empty handed. They had searched far and wide - east towards the ocean, north and south of all the areas where Luna was rumoured to have been seen.
Nothing.
Clarke was forced to return to a Polis on the brink of mayhem. Then after an advance by Roan and the unsuccessful attack on her life, 'Wanheda' had been voted in as acting Commander. She was reluctant, but with Marcus urging her on, she agreed to stand in to quell the unrest, until they could find a better alternative.
That was nine months ago.
Now, as she lay on her back on top of the furs in her little tin shack in the ghetto in Polis, unable to sleep as she tried desperately to grasp at the memory of Bellamy's lips on hers, Clarke knew she had to do more than just walk away after the constitution was signed.
Even if she allowed herself to abandon everybody, Bellamy wouldn't be happy. They'd always done what was best for their people – that was the whole reason they'd never followed through with their feelings.
If she did this the wrong way - their dream of being together would be shattered once more. Clarke didn't think she could suffer that happening again. They had come so close, so many times. She knew this was it – maybe their last chance at making something better together. She didn't want to screw it up.
If she was going to make good on her commitment to Bellamy, and be able to sustain that commitment, she needed to find Luna.
So, she sanctioned another mission and Indra set off, not long after they had returned from the summer solstice.